The Pride of Man Remastered
by SimbaFan
Summary: A young man...a tragic incident...a glimmer of hope...a new family. This broad re-telling of my first story promises to be longer, more intimate, and more tragic than ever before.
1. And So It Begins

**Guess who? :D**

**Hi guys. So after a huge debate with myself, I've decided to do this. I'm re-writing my first story, The Pride of Man. I've come up with a few ideas that I want to add into Heart of Man, but it requires a lot of tweaking in THIS story to make it fit well. And given that I still gag every time I read just the first chapter of PoM, this needed to be done. Expect quite a bit of new material from this, this chapter included :) I'm hoping to be able to update weekly since I've got time now!**

**Enjoy! R&R please!  
**

**

* * *

**

**The Pride of Man**

By SimbaFan A.K.A. Johnny

**Chapter 1 – And So It Begins**

I'm not really sure where I'm supposed to start my story. It's a long one and it's not exactly the happiest, that's for sure. Finding the right place to begin it isn't exactly easy. But I suppose I can give this thing a whirl.

I guess the best place to start would be before I ever left the States. Back when life was relatively simple and much less furry.

My name is Ayden. Ayden Michael Sumpter. Yeah, I know it sounds funny, but hey, at least it's original. I'm not sure where my parents got the name from, but I do know my back-story at the very least.

My parents had taken the liberty of pulling my younger brother, Spencer, and I out of public school around the time I was in 4th grade to home-school us. Spencer, being 4 years behind me, immediately started Kindergarten in home-school. I, on the other hand, was pulled from my social life in public school. Mom and Dad always said that home-school was better for us; that we'd learn more. I suppose it's true. I mean after all, a school teacher doesn't have time to go into detail about every lesson or answer every question their students have. Not that most kids have questions about lessons, but that's beside the point. Coupled with the fact that Mom and Dad were degree-backed teachers, Spencer and I were basically several grades ahead of our own within the first year.

For all the intelligence and smarts home-school had to offer, the social life was, unfortunately, not idyllic. See, you really don't have an opportunity to make friends when the only students in the class are yourself and your brother. Which is not to say I didn't have friends; I just didn't make any new ones. Most of the friends I had were from elementary school, and they were moving on with the lives they were building in high school. So I guess you really couldn't call them friends. Friends are people who ask you if you want to hang out on weekends, or go to a movie with, or come over to their house to play a game or two. I was lucky if my 'friends' ever said 'hi' to me whenever I, by off chance, caught them on their way to or from school. Well who wants to stay friends with somebody they knew as kids anyways?

Spencer and I developed a close bond in the absence of outside social influence. And our parents, while being teachers and mentors, also became our best buddies. We were a close-knit family. We did everything together.

Being home-schooled meant that the curriculum consisted of whatever my parents saw fit to do with us, so long as it matched California's code of conduct. And as long and complicated of a code it was, we were able to use that to our advantage. History lessons about pilgrims sailing across the ocean turned into field studies of actual replicas of ships from the 1700's. Marine Biology lessons meant a stop by the coast at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. But my personal favorite was the surprise trips Mom and Dad always planned each summer.

Mom and Dad ran a landscaping business. With Dad's dedication to a job done in a timely manner and Mom's clever layouts and keen eye for tasteful outdoor décor and landscapes, they were able to rake in quite a bit of cash. Every year since I was 10, part of that money was put aside so that we could take an annual trip to Africa. In 5th grade, when we were studying Egypt, our Africa trip took us to Cairo, Giza, and other famous cities and landmarks within the country. When I was 12, we were studying rainforests, and ended up trudging through the lush, humid rainforests of Madagascar that very same summer. And when I was 16, which is where the story starts, we were studying lions.

So picture, if you will: a sunny Tuesday afternoon in June. It's 100 plus degrees in the shade, dead center of the California valley. Now place in a relatively new suburban house, same exact model as the hundreds of houses around it. We're in my bedroom. It's not too big, not too small; just spacious enough for one teenage boy. The walls are plastered with posters and pictures of bands and movies, and a few random doodles I had drawn and felt were important enough to stick up for display. My bed laid side-long, cattycorner from a plain white-wood door that led to the rest of the house. To the left of the door were two rolling doors that opened up to reveal a small closet stuffed with clothes. Between the door and the closet was a wall-mirror, dimly reflecting light from the window over my bed back through the room. Across from the bed was a dresser for the rest of my clothes. On the top of the dresser was a small TV, and to the left of the dresser (my personal favorite) was a thin bookshelf that stretched from the floor all the way up to the ceiling. The shelves were stuffed full with book after book.

At that very moment, I was laying on my bed, fully immersed in one of my favorite books, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire". It was probably the eighth time I'd read the book since its release two years prior, but I was completely entranced by the spell the books had placed on me. I was in the middle of Chapter 31 when a knock rapped from behind my door.

"Come in!" I called, placing my bookmark in the pages. The door opened, and in stepped my father.

The man could have been my twin, if not for the fact he was taller than and twice as old as I was. A man pushing 40, he had auburn hair the exact shade of my own with occasional flecks of gray. His nose was pointed, just like mine, and his shimmering blue eyes sat framed behind a pair of rounded-square glasses.

He stared around my room curiously. I guess he didn't find what he was looking for, because he looked back up, scrutinizing me. "Bud, I know you like that book, but you need to start packing! We're leaving tomorrow afternoon!"

"Oh please, Dad," I said with an eye-roll, "it's not that hard. A stack of shirts, some pants, socks and some clean underwear and I'm good. It's not like it's going to take me hours to pack up. Besides, I was gonna head off to a movie later tod-…"

"I'm not joking son." Dad cut me off sternly. "I don't care what you planned to do. If you're not packed in the next hour, there will be consequences, starting with that book going in the trash." His face lightened. "Your mom's making me pack too, so you're not alone."

He smiled before turning and walking out of the room, closing the door behind him. Heaving a sigh, I laid my head on my pillow, staring out my window into the sky. The clouds swirled in the breezy sky, every now and then obscuring the sun. My mind always found shapes in the clouds if I stared long enough. Procrastinating even further, I figured if I wasn't allowed to read, I'd just stare at the clouds now.

Maybe it was due to our recent lessons being about lions, or maybe the sphinx from my book just lingered in my psyche, but instantly, the first thing my mind formed in the clouds was that of a lion with mane like wildfire. I stared quite surprised at the big cat, shocked at how well formed it appeared; much more so than any cloud I'd ever seen before. The sharp muzzle, the indents within the face for eyes, the strong, wide paws, the chiseled muscular body; it was as clear as day. I lost myself in thought as the lion moved lazily across the sky in the breeze. It was increasingly strange that the lion retained its' shape, despite the fact that the clouds surrounding it were swirling incessantly. As the lion's face passed over the sun, a strange phenomenon occurred; the eyes suddenly glowed with radiant, golden light, and the head turned.

It stared at me.

My eyes widened as I stared back at it, bewildered at this strange occurrence. I blinked intentionally, thinking maybe it was just a trick of the light. But when I looked back out, there was the lion still, looking quite plainly at me. Pure awe filled my mind as I stared back into the glowing golden eyes…

A sudden loud knocking at my door made me to jump. Quite violently too, because next thing I knew, I slipped off my bed and landed with a loud _THUD_ on the floor, banging my head against the wall.

"Ayden!" The muffled voice of Spencer, my younger brother, came from the other side of my closed door. "Dad sent me to make sure you're packing!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm doing it! Cool your heels!" I yelled back, nursing a throbbing lump on the back of my head.

Standing up, I looked out the window for the glowing lion. But I was shocked to find that it was gone without a single trace. There was just a large cluster of clouds obscuring the sun from view. I cocked my head to one side, thinking maybe the lion just shifted positions, but no matter how much I changed my point of view, the clouds just remained shapeless masses of suspended water particles.

I looked away in wonder, thinking about what had just occurred. My eyes rested on my Harry Potter book. With a smile, I sighed and shook my head.

"Too much reading…it's getting to my mind."

I crossed the room to my closet and, without another thought about the lion, started pulling out clothes to pack.

* * *

I skipped out on seeing a movie due to the fact that I had a lot more to pack than some random clothes. By the time I stopped procrastinating and had packed all the necessities for a full-blown safari in Africa, dinner was ready on the table. I washed up and headed downstairs to the table, where Mom had laid out a fabulous feast of beef stroganoff and green beans.

Mom walked gracefully into the room as I sat down at the table, a slight bounce in her step, holding a hot sheet of bread rolls in her mitted hands.

Her long black hair outlined the natural contours and lines of her face, and it fell down past her shoulders. Deep amber, almond shaped eyes, just like mine, sat perfectly above her small nose. I always thought that I had a beautiful mom.

"I figured our last meal before our big trip should be home-cooked." She said sweetly. "Your father wanted to order pizza, but-…"

"I'm glad you decided not to!" I replied with a grin, cutting her off. "This smells great!"

The sound of roughhousing came from the living room, and I pushed out my chair and stood up to see what all the commotion was. Apparently Dad and Spencer had just finished watching UFC and had started a makeshift fight of their own.

"Ayden! Ayden! Help me!" Spencer called out as Dad held him down in a sleeper hold. "I can't get him!"

"I'm fine over here, thanks." I replied coolly. Rough play wasn't exactly my cup of tea. I was much more content with a quiet afternoon with a book than playing and ending up with scrapes and bruises any day.

"Honestly boys, dinner's on the table. Knock it off!" Mom chastised over my shoulder.

Once Dad and Spencer pulled themselves together and smoothed themselves out, they walked into the dining room with broad smiles on their red faces. Spencer sat down next to me and Dad sat across from him, next to Mom. Spencer shuffled his own thick black hair and looked up at me.

"Why don't you ever play with us Ayden?" He asked. "We could _totally_ double-team dad!"

"I rather like my body the way it is, thanks." I supplied flatly, taking a bite of food. "I don't really enjoy getting bruises all that much."

"But bruises are fun!" he cried without missing a beat.

"Spencer, inside voice please." Mom said over the table.

Spencer grabbed his drink, acting like he didn't hear her, and started to chug it down. Apparently he was stricken with a particularly funny thought, because he spluttered into his cup. After a fit of coughing and wheezing, he looked up at me with a grin.

"I'll bet you'd play in Africa! What if one of the lions started playing with you? You wouldn't get bruises, but you'd sure get bitten a lot! Oooh! Imagine all the blood!"

Mom looked quite stern from across the table at Spencer.

"Oh _really_ nice bro'." I rolled my eyes. "Glad to know me getting mauled by a lion brings you joy." Spencer giggled uncontrollably as I looked back up at Dad. "What reservation did you say we were going to stay at again?"

"Koko Milele" He replied immediately. "It's an older reservation, but they've got a substantial population of captive lions for us to study."

"Captive lions are cool and all," I said, swallowing a bite of food, "but I want to study the wild ones. You know, see them in their natural habitat, study their hunting methods, see how the wild cubs learn from playing. All the captive ones do is just lie around all day."

"In good time son." Mom smiled. "There's no guarantee we'd see a wild pride. Besides, renting a jeep to go out into the savannah costs a lot of money. For now, we'll have to stick with what we can afford. Besides, it'll be fun just to get out of the country again."

I sighed. "I guess so."

Until this year, I really hadn't cared much about animals. But then when Mom and Dad started up the zoology lessons, their focus had been on lions. Ever since, my attention had been hooked. The power and majesty of such amazing creatures was something I had wanted to behold for myself all year long. To see that power and majesty watered down to lying around in the sun all day within a controlled environment wasn't exactly my idea of a proper study. But there was no use fighting my parents on it. As the old proverb goes, never bite the hand that feeds you. I was semi-content with what I was about to get.

After dinner, Spencer and I argued briefly over who would do dishes until Mom stepped in and made me do them. I rushed through them as fast as I could, and soon I was once again lying on my bed, continuing my journey with Harry. My eyes were slowly drooping heavily as I reached the end of the chapter. I blinked fervently, and looked out to the sky outside my window once more. The night was cloudless and the stars above twinkled. I recognized the constellation Leo straight out of my window. The clouded lion popped into my mind again, and I was left wondering if I had just imagined it.

My eyes focused on the glittering stars briefly, before finally submitting to the weariness encasing them. The twinkling lights blurred out of focus as my eyes closed soundly in a peaceful sleep.


	2. Koko Milele

**Sooo...yeah. Been about a month, and here we are again. I apologize it took this long. Believe me when I say I've dived into this story full force. It's just been a long month. Hopefully things will stay on track now. I've already written Chapter 3 and am just waiting on the Betas to send it back to me. I'm not sure if I've given them credit yet, but I will do so now.**

**Thanks SO much to my three betas; BookRose, Tonyboy, and Aquaman52. The story would have quite a few plotholes and I would have some lack of motivation without you guys :)**

**Ok, enough chatter! READ! XD  
**

**

* * *

Chapter 2 – Koko Milele**

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We're about to begin our descent. The 'Fasten Your Seatbelts' light has just been lit. Please fasten your seatbelts now."

I blinked sleepily as the voice intruded into my dream. It was strange…one blink, I was staring at the dark silhouette of what was unmistakably a lion, next blink I was staring at the blurry cabin of Flight 186. The more I blinked, the more the cabin came into focus.

With a yawn, I stretched, accidentally kicking the chair in front of me.

"Hey kid, watch it!" came a gruff, heavily accented voice from the other side of the seat.

"Sorry." I replied groggily. I clicked my seatbelt and checked my watch. It read 4:18AM. Apparently I had forgotten to set my time from American to African. I grabbed my backpack and rummaged through it until I found my "Facts About Africa" book. According to the book, Koko Milele Sanctuary's time was 9 hours ahead of California's. With that in mind, I set my clock forward to 1:18PM.

Totally_ not digging this time change thing…I need sleep… _

With a yawn, I looked around at Mom and Dad. They were sitting in the seats behind Spencer and I, chatting happily amongst themselves. Spencer sat to my left, bouncing excitedly, his nose pressed to the window.

"Where are the lions, Mom?" he asked, unable to keep himself still. The gentleman who commented at me earlier looked around irritably in his seat.

_If I didn't know better, I'd say Spencer's about to wet his pants,_ I thought with a smirk. Spencer was just a hair shy from being ADHD, or at least he was as far as I was concerned. The kid had almost no self-control, and it had gotten him in trouble more than once. At least here on vacation, his excitement was well-warranted. Admittedly, it was a little contagious too. My heart was thumping in anticipation for the exciting weeks to come.

The man ahead of me cleared his throat loudly. He looked around at me, clearly wanting me to stifle my brother's annoying behavior. He was balding and would've looked stern even if he hadn't been staring at me over his pair of thick-rimmed glasses, effectively made him appear even more menacing. I, however, wasn't intimidated. I actually found it kind of funny that he thought he could scare me into doing what he wanted.

_Like you're gonna do anything…_

I stared intently at him, then yawned before smirking smugly. He cleared his throat again, looking briefly at my babbling, bouncing brother, before narrowing his eyes at me.

"Oh, I'm sorry, sir, was my brother bugging you?" I said, a sudden idea striking my brain. "Here, let me fix that."

And with that, I started bouncing up and down in my seat as well, chattering just a s excitedly as my brother was. Spencer got quite a laugh out of that one, and it only encouraged him more. I grinned back at the man, who rolled his eyes and sat back in his seat, clearly annoyed.

_Job well done!_ I congratulated myself.

Once the plane touched down smoothly, the cabin was suddenly and simultaneously abuzz with people chattering, standing up, stretching, and more than ready to leave the plane. Only a few stragglers, ourselves included, sat waiting for a few moments as the cabin emptied. Mom didn't like crowds much, plus waiting made it much easier for us to gather our carry-on bags. With a spring in my step, I led my family out of the plane and onto the boarding platform and out through the airport hangar.

Baggage claim would have been a fairly simple process, if Spencer hadn't tried to get his Gameboy out of his bag. Bless his heart, the kid accidentally spilled the bag's contents all over the rotating conveyer belt. A half hour later, with everything thankfully retrieved, we walked out of the airport and into the sweltering hot summer day outside.

"Isn't this exciting, guys?" Dad said with a grin. "Smell how clean the air is out there!"

Deciding to heed his suggestion, I inhaled. Having been to Africa several times previously, I still always enjoyed comparing the difference between here and back home. The Central Valley back in California was always covered in a haze of smog and hovering emissions from factories and cars. The air was distinctly different here. It was beyond clean, I dare say it was even somewhat heavenly. There was also a definitive difference in the visibility. Back home, you could see maybe a few miles around you at any given time. Out here in Africa without any lingering smog, you could see for miles all the way out to the distant horizon.

Everybody has their own place where they get that comfort and feeling of home. Some people feel it on the beach, others feel it someplace of an old memory, and some feel it just in the comfort of their own bed. I felt it here in Africa.

It was great to be back.

We quickly boarded the airport's bus, which would take us to the sanctuary. I had a moment of internal hilarity as I recognized the balding, bespectacled man Spencer and I had annoyed sitting a few rows back. Naturally, we took the two empty seats behind him. I saw him eye me irritably. I waved, grinning as I took my seat. As soon as the bus was in motion, I leaned my seat back, closed my eyes, and slipped quickly back to sleep.

I awoke abruptly several hours later, frantically thinking the apocalypse was upon us. The bus had apparently traversed from smooth asphalt to a makeshift dusty road, which in turn caused it to rattle and shake quite violently. I breathed deep, allowing my heart a few moments to climb back down to a normal rate.

I glanced over and saw that Spencer, defying all sane reason, was sound asleep in his seat next to me. I chuckled to myself before becoming suddenly awestruck as I caught sight of what was outside the window.

Flat grasslands stretched in every direction, bobbing lazily in the breeze like lulling waves in a gigantic green ocean. The sky above was an amazing shift of colors as the sun descended slowly towards the horizon. Near the horizon, the sky glowed a bright, vibrant orange, and farther up it progressed from a cool royal blue into a deep, sleepy violet. Never before had I witnessed a sunset as beautiful as the one I laid eyes on at that very moment. I'll admit, my eyes started to tear up at the sheer beauty of it.

I watched the sky slowly transition to nighttime, my heart of hearts completely captivated for another ten minutes until I felt the bus start to slow down. Glancing out the opposite window, I saw that we had arrived at our destination.

The bus turned down a much smaller dirt road and passed under a sign that welcomed visitors to Koko Milele Sanctuary. The few buildings weren't too well lit and were spaced far apart from each other, but it was easy to make them out as they were the only visible lit objects for miles. I was shocked at how little time it took for there to be such a difference in light. Not but ten minutes previously I could still see for miles, and now with night falling faster by the minute, it was nearly impossible to see beyond the dimly-lit buildings. I could imagine that had there still been some daylight, I would still have been able to see the gorgeous lulling grassland for miles around.

The bus squealed to a halt, and the few of us left on the bus, including the balding man in front of Spencer and I, stood up and shifted our way down and out of the bus.

"Well, here we are!" Dad said with a grin. "Our home for two weeks!"

"Wish we could see it…" I replied sleepily.

"Come on, let's get settled in real quick so we can all get to sleep," Mom offered kindly with a smile.

The sleepy-looking bus driver came down the steps of the bus, opened a side panel, and started unloading luggage. Looking around, I noticed the vague outlines of several tall chain-link fences under a few evenly spaced lights. My heart jumped as I realized those fences must be where the lions were kept. I looked eagerly in the few areas that were flooded with light, hoping to catch a glimpse of the big cats. But they were all either shy or just hiding somewhere else in the enclosed area, because I saw no sign of an animal, feline or otherwise. With a sigh I grabbed my suitcase, slung my backpack over my shoulder and followed my parents and Spencer into the building nearby.

The concrete lobby of the main building was lit with dull fluorescents, which occasionally flickered. Maybe it was because I was just sleepy, but it seemed kind of eerie. The room being completely empty other than my family and I didn't help that thought much. Forcing the sudden image of an axe-wielding murderer from my mind, I watched Dad step forward to the counter on the other side of the room.

"Hello?" he called out, his voice echoing off the plain concrete walls. There was a crash behind the door on the other side of the counter, and a moment later, a thin, dark-skinned African man came through, looking slightly dazed. He was rubbing a spot on his shaved head where he apparently had bumped it at the shock of my dad's call.

"Sorry about that," the man said with a thick accent. "I did not think anybody would be in tonight."

Mom, Spencer, and I walked forward and joined Dad at the counter. Dad chuckled, throwing an arm around Mom.

"My apologies, sir, I didn't mean to scare you," he said, still grinning. "My family and I have just arrived from the United States. We've come to study the lions you've got captured here. We have a room reserved from about three months ago."

"Let me look at the records," the African man replied, pulling out an official-looking notebook from under the counter. He flipped through the pages for a moment before running his thin finger down one page. "You are Mr. Sumpter, yes?"

"Last time I checked." Dad replied. The man behind the counter chuckled.

"It is a pleasure, sir. I am Abasi. Welcome to Koko Milele!" the man said with a smile.

It was weird yet cool to hear how the man spoke with such a heavy African accent. I'd always just said 'Koko Milele' phonetically. And in that sense, there wasn't any difference between my way of saying it and Abasi's. But hearing it in the accent and language it was meant to be spoken was very interesting. I made a mental note to study up on the Swahili language when I got back stateside.

Abasi came out from behind the counter and greeted each of us. After saying our 'hello's', Abasi beckoned us to follow him. Several hallways later, all of which were the same as the main lobby (concrete and lit with fluorescents), Abasi stopped at a door with a label above that said "Guest Room" and pulled a ring of keys from his pocket. A brief moment of fumbling through the keys, then he managed to open the door before handing the key to my father.

"This is where you and your family will sleep. If you're hungry, all meals are served in the mess hall." Abasi said cheerfully. "It's open all day and night, though the cooks aren't there after 8PM. But there's plenty of non-cooked food there. It's just down the hall and to the left, you can't miss it. The bathroom and showers are straight down at the end of the hall. If you need anything, just come back to the main lobby and ask for me."

"Thank you, Abasi," Mom replied, smiling gently.

"My pleasure, Madame," he said with a nod. And with that, he turned on his heel and walked away, a jubilant bounce in his step.

"Nice guy," I remarked, to which Mom nodded in agreement. The man seemed like a good person; at least, that was the vibe I got from him. I made a mental note to talk to him later about his heritage. It wouldn't hurt to get some good educational side notes aside from information on lions.

We filed into the room together and Dad quickly flipped the light switch. A single bulb flickered to life on the left side of the room. Our room wasn't glamorous by any definition of the word. It was rectangular and simple, and like every other room we'd seen, it was made completely out of concrete. Even the floor was cold gray stone, though several African style rugs were laid out for decoration. A single glass-paned window provided a view to the world outside, though at the moment it showed little than a blanket of darkness hovering just on the other side. Two queen sized beds were situated against the wall. There appeared to be only two thin pillows and one thin sheet on each bed.

"Good thing I packed a few blankets," Mom said a little smugly. Dad and I rolled our eyes simultaneously.

After setting up Spencer's and my bed, I took a pair of pajamas and my toothbrush with me down the hall to the bathroom. After changing and brushing my teeth, I walked back down the hallway—actually, it was more of a brisk jog due to the cold concrete floor not agreeing with my bare feet—to our room. Sleep was starting weigh heavy on my mind, and I was more than ready to submit.

Entering the room, I chuckled at Spencer, who had passed out on his side of the bed, still fully clothed, sneakers and all. Slipping under the covers on my side, I said goodnight to my parents and laid back. The moment my head hit my pillow, my eyes closed and I was instantly snoozing the night away.

I'm not sure if it was because I had slept so much on the plane and bus the day before, or if it was simply because the sunbeams through the window inexplicably found my face, but I was the first awake the next morning. After waiting for the momentary grogginess to lift from my eyelids, I slid out of bed and quietly gathered my clothes for the day ahead. I tiptoed out of the room and gently shut the door behind me, careful not to wake up my family.

After a quick 'Dance of the Cold Floor' down the hall, I managed to reach the bathroom where thankfully, there were several rugs laid on the ground. Setting my stuff down, I looked around the room to locate the showers. There were a few small windows around the walls, mainly on the wall where the sinks were. Opposite that wall was the section for toilets and urinals. Walking forward a bit, I was able to spot another doorway at the end of the bathrooms on the other side of the stalls. I grabbed my bag and walked down to the doorway, hoping it was the entrance to the showers. Instinct served me well, because when I turned the corner, I found myself in a small room with a couple benches set against the wall. There was another doorway to my left that led into a communal shower.

Glancing around, I made sure nobody else was around before stripping down and entering the communal shower room. As I showered, my mind started to wander to the events of the days to come. Sure, we'd be studying real lions mere feet away. But I wasn't exactly thrilled by this. Sure, they were big cats; sure, they were potentially dangerous; but the addition of the enclosure essentially made them nothing more than overgrown housecats. Still, seeing such a huge and majestic animal in front of me with my own eyes would be a cool sight, I was sure.

It was after I had changed into my fresh pair of clothes and was slipping into my sneakers that the completely awesome and fear-inspiring sound first reached my ears. A low, rumbling growl, fearsome and menacing, echoed through the bathroom outside. Laced with a slight snarl, the growl was enough to spread terror into the deepest depths of my stomach. With a start, I jumped against the wall, my heart racing a mile a minute.

_No way! There can't be one in here!_

The sound echoed again seconds later, even louder than before. Uttering a silent prayer that I would no longer swear behind my parents' backs should my life be spared, I slowly and cautiously looked around the corner into the bathroom, waiting for the sight of a clawed paw come flying out of nowhere.

There was nothing. I was still completely alone in the bathroom.

Utterly perplexed, I carefully stepped out of the changing room, each step feeling like I was dragging a shoe of lead on each foot. The growl echoed again, and though I jumped, this time I was able to detect where the sound came from. One of the windows along the wall of sinks was wide open, and the growl was drifting into the bathroom through the opening.

Fear was quickly replaced by overwhelming curiosity. Completely forgetting that I had left my pajamas and soap in the changing room, I strode quickly out of the bathroom and around the corner to a pair of doubled doors with windows that led to the world outside. There were no labels on the doors that prohibited entry, so I pushed through and walked out.

A moment of blinding sunlight, and next thing I knew, I had run into something – or rather, _someone_ very solid.

"Oh my! I am terribly sorry young sir!" the dark-skinned African woman said, her eyes bugging frantically. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I chuckled at her overreaction. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, sir, I am feeling fine," She sighed with a smile. I noticed her accent was thick, though not as thick as Abasi's had been. She appeared older, though no more than 40. "Do you need help finding something, young sir?"

"Actually, I kinda wanted to see the lions," I said, looking over her shoulder. Just around the corner, I noticed a small corner of an enclosure. My heart leapt as I realized how close I was to one of the majestic creatures.

"Ah yes, you're the Sumpter boy!" the woman said happily, her eyes lighting up. "I can show you. My name is Aina."

She held out a small hand, and I shook it eagerly. She turned and beckoned for me to follow her around to the enclosure. With a bounce in my step, I followed her, my heart practically beating a hole in my chest. This was the moment I'd been waiting for. Even if it was a captive lion, it was still a lion nonetheless; a living, breathing, killing machine. And I was going to come face-to-face with it.

Awesome.

Aina rounded the corner, and I followed, mere seconds away.

And there he was.

The lion stood, staring up at the pair of us. He was about five feet long, not counting his twitchy tail. Tan in color, his underbelly stood out surprisingly lighter, and creamier. His dark brown mane was shaggy and short, making me think he was still fairly young. His ears perked up and he looked straight at me.

Of all the amazing features of this magnificent animal, it was his eyes that captivated me. Ever photo I'd ever seen, the lion's eyes were always dark and animalistic black. But this lion's eyes were _very _distinct. What we consider the whites in humans were yellow for him, and his irises were a bright, glassy green. But bright colors aside, it was the gaze within the eyes…the knowing, the emotion…the _soul_. It was very clear that this lion had a soul.

The way he stared at me was bizarre. Never before had I seen such a knowing in an animal before; like he knew some big secret that he was happy to hide…and yet he wanted to tell it. Those eyes stared through me, straight to my soul, and somehow, inexplicably, I knew that he knew something about me that I didn't. It was mesmerizing. I didn't dare look away, wondering if I could know this secret…

"Are you all right, Mr. Sumpter?"

Suddenly I was aware that I hadn't been breathing. I looked over at Aina, who was staring at me with concern.

"I'm fine," I chuckled, "I…I just, uh…I didn't know lions' eyes were that brightly colored."

"I'm sorry?" Aina said, appearing more concerned and now confused. "Do you mean something else? Kishindo's eyes are black."

I laughed, looking back at the lion, who continued to stare curiously at me. "That's a cool name. Kishindo. But look at him, he's got green eyes!"

"Mr. Sumpter, I am Kishindo's keeper and trainer. I assure you, Kishindo's eyes are black."

I stared at her incredulously. _She's joking…_

The firm resolution in her face showed me otherwise. Was I seeing things? I looked at Kishindo again, and sure enough there were two green, piercing, and curious eyes looking back up at me.

_Maybe she's colorblind._ I thought, unsure if I even believed that. I wasn't going to push it though. I didn't want her to think I was crazy.

"You're right, my mistake." I said with a smile. I crouched down eye-level with the lion. "So how old is Kishindo?"

"He is only a year-and-a-half," Aina said, crouching down with me, now smiling. Her eyes still reflected a hint of concern. "I found him in the wild as a cub. His mother had been killed by poachers…at least, that is my theory. He was so small, so thin. I thought for sure he would have died from starvation. My team and I brought him here and I raised him. He is very comfortable with me. Very affectionate. He sees me as a mother."

"Wow, that's quite a story." I said, looking around at her. "Can you show me? Like, can you go in his cage with him?"

"Of course!" she smiled. "I just put him in there a few minutes ago before you bumped into me."

She stood up and grabbed the handle to the cage's door.

"Kishindo!" she said firmly, but with a soothing tone. "Kukaa…utulivu…kukaa…"

Kishindo looked away from me for the first time since I entered the area surrounding the enclosure, and looked up at Aina. The expression in his emerald eyes definitely changed. Instead of curiosity, there was affection and love. His ears laid back in submission to her, and he sat on his haunches. Aina smiled, and she slowly opened the entrance to the cage.

"You may come in, Mr. Sumpter," she said, looking around at me and flashing a smile.

I looked back at her, completely floored. This time, the words did not stay in my head.

"You're joking."

"Normally, I would be," she said with a grin. "But Kishindo likes you. I can feel it. He has not growled at you once, and he seems very calm."

"Are you sure it's safe?" I said, caution flaring within my stomach, twisting it slightly.

"I know Kishindo better than anybody on this earth, Mr. Sumpter. I am up in my years. I know the dangers and risks involved, and I have seen accidents happen. I've seen how they've happened. And I know better than to be so careless as to _let_ them happen. I would not dare put your safety at risk. You are _safe_ with Kishindo," she said very seriously.

There was power and a commanding air in her voice that gave me comfort. I stood up slowly, eyeing Kishindo carefully. His gaze shifted back to me, and once again there was the curiosity…and something else. His ears perked again. He seemed excited, downright happy in fact. Some comfort grew in my twisted stomach as my gaze met his, and I stepped forward. Aina's small hand was outstretched from within the cage. Slowly, I reached out and grasped it. Gently, she guided me into the cage and shut the door.

"Kishindo, kama!" she called. The big cat stood up and trotted over to us. My stomach twisted again as I pictured those enormous paws unsheathing the deadly claws within. But nothing of the sort happened. Kishindo walked right up to us and, exactly like a housecat, lovingly pushed his head into Aina's legs. Aina kneeled down, and I followed suit.

"Kishindo is, first and foremost, a wild animal. And one does well to never forget that," she said, rubbing and petting him. He appeared to be loving every second of it. "Forgetting that is how accidents happen. But it also helps to know the animal; to know what they are like, their personality. Kishindo _loves_ attention. I think he'll let you pet him."

Kishindo had yawned at her final words, and I was quite reluctant to reach out to a creature with gleaming teeth like that. She chuckled and grasped my hand. Slowly, she helped me reach towards the lion. He met my hand halfway, and started eagerly rubbing his head into my palm. His fur was soft, but dirty. He opened his eyes halfway and looked at me, pure happiness shimmering from those green emeralds. I was almost positive that he was smiling.

I couldn't help myself. A huge grin cracked my lips, and I sat down cross-legged, eagerly petting and rubbing the happy lion. He flopped over on his side, stretching his paws into my lap. This was something only out of my wildest dreams, and I was loving every minute of it. Clearly, Kishindo was too.

Whether he was smiling or not, I knew one thing was certain; this wonderful, amazing, powerful creature was showing love and submission towards me, something that I'd never heard of, let alone dared to expect. And it wasn't merely through his actions, but his mysterious gaze as well. Never, in my entire life, would I ever forget this one amazing moment.

* * *

**R&R Please :)**


	3. A Troubled Blessing

**Well...this has certainly been an interesting week to say the least. But for those of you who know what took place, just know that my resolve to write has not been wavered. I'm still going strong! **

**I've got about half of Chapter 4 written already, though I'm probably not going to have anything posted until the end of February, maybe beginning of March. I'm going camping in Death Valley next weekend for five days, and I won't be able to really focus on writing until after I get back. So enjoy this for now! ^_^**

**

* * *

Chapter 3 – A Troubled Blessing**

"But _Moooomm!_ I wanna go see the lion!" Spencer whined, tears welling in his eyes. "_Ayden_ got to go see the lion!"

"The answer is no, son," Mom said firmly, turning her familiarly uncomfortable and scrutinizing 'mom-look' on me. "Ayden shouldn't have gone in there in the first place."

"Kishindo's a nice lion, mom…" I said, cringing a bit. "And like I said, there was a trainer there."

My family and I had just spent the last three days wandering the reservation, going cage to cage taking notes on each lion and lioness. We met many of the trainers, who were all incredibly nice and receptive. They answered all of our questions about their lions, though I noticed most of the answers were the same. It didn't really surprise me, though, considering all the lions were stuck in cages most of the day.

Over the three days, Mom and Dad were focused on the behavioral habits of the lions, and for a while I was too. Until I realized that they were all doing the same thing; napping, sitting, lying down, staring into space, and breathing. After hours and lion after lion doing the exact same thing, my attention span was stretched like butter scraped over too much bread. So I started taking notes about the physical differences between the lions, which significantly kept my attention more.

Every lion, regardless of gender, was a different color; golden brown, dirty tan, some even deep rich brown. Some lions appeared similar in color to others, which made me assume they might be related, but even they had their own distinct tone to their pelt. One of the obvious differences between the males was the mane color. Over the entire day I took note of many colors, ranging from mild tan all the way to dark brown, and every color between.

But the biggest thing I noticed, just as I had with Kishindo, were the eyes. Every lion I saw (at least the ones that were awake) had distinctively colored irises in their eyes. And it wasn't limited to just green like Kishindo's. There was an entire array, including orangey amber, ocean blue, and even a couple lavender. This left me in a further state of confusion.

Why did I notice the colors, but Aina didn't? I even asked Mom at one point if she could see the iris color, to which she replied, "I really can't tell son. They all look black to me."

Even more confusing, why did the lions seem more…human? It was more than just the eye color that gave them the seeming of a greater consciousness. There was a knowing within the eyes. These lions seemed to be completely sentient and conscious beings instead of just semi-conscious, instinct-driven animals. It was utterly perplexing.

The thing was, though, it wasn't a bad thing. The lions that looked at me all had this look of calm or serenity about them. The looks I was being given by the lions seemed to show understanding of some kind. It was strangely calming. I tried to put the phenomenon out of my head during my study sessions though. Focus was a key element if I wanted to remember the notes I took for my parent's surprise pop quizzes.

It was on the third day that I was in for a small turn of events. We had walked to the western end of the reservation, where a vast stretch of land sat fenced off by the ten-foot-high chain-link fences I saw when we first arrived. I had yet to see this place, so I was a little surprised. Abasi, who had been guiding us that day, told us it was about two-and-a-half square acres, quite enough room for the lions to go prowl about during the day. At that moment, I could count about twelve lions and lionesses wandering and lazing about the fenced-area.

I spent a good two hours sitting there, taking notes on the prowling lions. Several of them were encircling the edge of the fence, seeming to watch for anything on the other side. I found this very interesting for two reasons; One, because it was the first time I'd actually seen any major movement from any lion on the reservation since meeting Kishindo. And two, I'd never seen this kind of behavior from lions before. They were prowling in the same direction, in the same path, occasionally marking a spot with their scent. I was curious why they did this, and I was determined to find out as soon as I could. My resolve was only furthered when I saw that, after the trainers had swapped the group of lions with another one, the males from the new group started doing the exact same thing as the previous ones.

"Hey Abasi!" I called over my shoulder as one of the larger, older lions prowled past me, staring me down intensely with his dark amber eyes. I paused a moment to look back at him. He nodded at me before continuing.

_ This is getting really weird…_

"Yes, young Ayden?" said Abasi suddenly, directly over my left shoulder. The shock of realizing he had appeared so fast made me yell, which in turn caused several of the lions in the enclosure to turn and growl in surprise. Abasi's hearty laughter at my reaction wasn't exactly calming.

"Utulivu chini! Utulivu! Ni sawa!" he called out to the lions. They stared at him for a moment before, one by one, looking away and going back to their business.

"I am sorry, young Ayden," Abasi laughed. "It was not my meaning to frighten you."

"It's fine, Abasi," I said, heaving a sigh. "I just wasn't expecting you to come over here so fast."

"It is a good thing you are not living in the village nearby," Abasi chuckled. "Where you come from and what you know...it would not help you very much out in Africa."

I looked at him curiously. "What do you mean?"

"My meaning is that you scare so easily. You are lucky you are only visiting." Abasi said, looking out on the horizon. "Africa is dangerous and cruel, full of many predators and elements. It takes a strong heart and a sharp mind to survive away from civilization." He looked down and smiled at me. "I know you have both...but you should still be glad that you live an easy life."

And quite suddenly, he looked different. His eyes looked momentarily aged, like the eyes of an old man who had seen many tragedies befall him. For some reason, I felt inexplicably sorry for him. I wanted to ask him if he personally knew the dangers faced in the wilds of Africa. But the look was gone the instant I noticed it.

"Now what was your question, young Ayden?" he asked.

"Um..." I said, racking my brain for the forgotten query. "I was just curious why the males circle the perimeter of the enclosure."

"It is a sign of dominance." Abasi grinned. "The males do as they would do in the wild, walking the perimeter of their territory, marking it as their own so to ward off other males. Normally, in a pride there are only two, maybe three males that do this. But here, at Koko Milele, we have over 25 lions, 8 of which are male. The males here are special. They all know each other and are comfortable, so they do not fight one another. But you can be sure that if another male came trying to invade the reservation, they would do their best to protect it."

He smiled at me briefly, then looked out at the lions. And without another word, Abasi turned and walked back into the main building. I could have swore I saw the same look in his eyes as he turned to leave, but his back was to me before I could be sure. I stared at him for a moment, wondering if I should follow him and ask if he was alright. But I thought better of it. Talking things out usually helped, but in this case I decided it was best not to push the issue.

By the end of the day, I was thoroughly bored with seeing the same thing over and over. Mom told us we had one more cage to visit before heading back to the room, and as I recognized the area we were in, my heart leapt joyfully. We turned a corner and stepped into the area surrounding Kishindo's cage. At the sight of me, Kishindo's ears perked, his eyes sparkled, and he stood up, looking the same as when I first entered his cage; excited and happy. Noticing this, mom voiced her curiosity, to which I responded with my adventure three days prior.

Which brings us back to Spencer's minor hissy fit.

"It's not fair, mom!" Spencer cried, his voice climbing an octave.

"Spencer, enough!" Dad hissed, casting an eye at a trainer who stood down a nearby hallway. "Nobody is going in. End of discussion! Now let's go."

Spencer shut his mouth, though he sniffled every now and then. Mom, Dad, and Spencer turned and started down to the doors that would lead towards our room. I looked around at Kishindo, who stared at me curiously, his ears lowered. I wanted to reach through the bars and pat his head to show him it was all right, but doing so would completely destroy Mom's point, seeing as they were still within sight of me. So I just smiled at him and nodded slightly.

Kishindo's eyes lightened and his ears perked again. He smiled back.

A short gasp caught in my throat. The intense shock must have shown in my face, because Kishindo's disposition changed immediately. His ears lowered and he slunk low, looking upset…as if he did something wrong. His eyes looked fearful, and his mouth was in a frightened frown…the lion was frowning! It was unmistakable!

I tripped and fell back as my feet instinctively shuffled away from Kishindo. My mind raced, trying to make sense of what was happening. There was _no_ way…

Jumping back up, I saw that Kishindo had backed against the opposite wall, his ears lowered. He wasn't angry though…he was scared..._very_ scared.

And so was I.

Turning as fast as my feet could manage, I hurried back down the hall, trying unsuccessfully to calm my beating heart and gather my thoughts. Unfortunately I was so internally focused that for the second time since arriving at the reservation, I bumped into some poor soul who had the misfortune to come within proximity of me. Luckily, though, it wasn't a stranger.

"Watch where you're going, son!" Dad said, chuckling. "You're gonna run somebody over someday."

"Sorry, Dad," I said over-eagerly. "I just...I…uh-"

"Everything all right, son?" he asked, looking concerned. Mom and Spencer stood behind him, staring at me curiously.

"Yeah!" I said a little quickly. "I'm just really hungry, that's all. I'm gonna go get some food."

And before he could tell me otherwise, I strode past Dad in the direction of the cafeteria. I barely made out his call not to run before I was around the corner and out of his sight.

As I reached the cafeteria, I found the nearest empty table and sat down, cramming my head between my palms. Rather painfully, I must admit, but maybe if I jarred the contents of my brain enough, these delusions might stop. My mind felt like a swarming hive of bees. _Never_ had I seen an animal react with such human-like emotions before. It was starting to really freak me out! I wasn't sure what to make of it…or anything for that matter. What was I going to do? Was I going crazy? Was I somehow still asleep on the plane and this was all just a dream? Or was it possible that these lions were actually more conscious than we gave them credit for? I couldn't find a single answer to any of these questions. The only thing that I was sure of was that, for some reason, I was seeing this and nobody else was. I was more than just freaked out; 'scared completely out of my wits' is probably a more accurate description. Seeing things other people couldn't usually meant some form of psychosis. That wasn't exactly comforting though, and I tried to think of something else. One complete, rational thought managed to form in my head. I couldn't tell anybody. Even on the off chance that I wasn't delusional, talking about extraordinarily-emotional lions wasn't exactly the way to keep my room's walls pad-free.

So what next?

There was only one idea that seemed semi-logical. Logical…kind of a funny way to describe what my mind was going through at that moment…

I waited until the sounds of heavy breathing was consistent with the ambience of our room before sliding silently out of bed. I quickly slipped my sneakers on and tiptoed to the door, making sure to grab the room key just in case. I opened the door slowly and walked out, closing it quietly behind me.

Turning the corner, I walked the familiar path I did the first morning. I was determined to find an answer to these delusions, at any cost.

Pushing through the unlabeled double doors, I walked several more feet down the hall before feeling the fresh, chilled night air. I turned right and came within view of Kishindo's small enclosure.

The brown-maned lion lay sleeping against the bars of the cage, his stomach rising and falling slowly as he breathed. He looked incredibly peaceful. He might have even been dreaming, because every now and then he would twitch in his sleep. As quietly as possible, I walked forward and slowly sat down right against the side of the bars, setting the key down on the ground beside me. Kishindo's ear twitched as I lowered myself, and by the time I was seated on the ground, his head had snapped up and he was yawning, flashing his gleaming white fangs. He turned his fuzzy head and the green eyes met brown. He stared at me, a look of uncertainty reflected in those emerald orbs.

"Hey, Kishindo." I whispered with a smile.

Kishindo blinked, and his expression lightened. My heartbeat increased, wondering what to do next. I needed to test if what I saw was for real or not.

_Only one way to tell for sure right now…_

With a sigh, I slowly reached my hand towards the lion. He stared at it intently. This was my logical test; did Kishindo only react kindly to me because there was always a trainer nearby? Could I actually touch him and not lose my limbs when it was just he and I? I was willing to risk severe bodily injury to see if I was crazy. Seemed pretty logical to me.

Closing my eyes, I kept reaching inch-by-inch, towards the lion's head, waiting for the imminent chomp of pain.

But it never came. My hand found dirty but soft fur once again. I opened my eyes and saw that, just as before, Kishindo was smiling, his eyes looking adorably up at my hand atop his fluffy head. I sighed. So I wasn't crazy...yet. I grinned and petted him, which he responded with eager rubbing.

"This is so strange…" I said aloud. Kishindo looked at me, glee swimming in his eyes. "How are you smiling? How is this even possible?"

There was the look again…Kishindo's face looked happily mischievous, like he knew a secret that he couldn't tell me. And like the brightness of a sunrise peaking over the horizon, a sudden realization struck me.

"Can you…can you understand me?"

Kishindo smiled, flashing his eyebrows briefly.

"Unreal…" I whispered, continuing to pet him. His throat rumbled gleefully, and I reached my other arm through the bars to rub under his chin.

So what did this mean? Immediately, I thought maybe I _was_ crazy after all. But I threw that out the window quickly. I was thinking way too rationally to just be crazy. Crazy people don't know they're crazy. To a crazy person, it just seems like the world is going against them. So then my thoughts turned towards something I hadn't considered before. What if this was some sort of supernatural thing? I had seen some animal readers on television who claimed to be able to read the moods of animals and understand their exact needs. I had been raised with Christian values and I believed in God, though I wasn't exactly a model Christian, so I had never taken it all to heart. Still, I started to think that maybe He had something to do with it.

At the moment, though, I couldn't be sure of anything. There was no way for me to know what caused this strange occurrence, and I sure wasn't going to find out by sitting here petting a happy lion. Still, it _was_ an enjoyable moment.

"Your fur is so soft," I said to Kishindo, grinning.

"Oh, yes, it's quite soft indeed," came a gruff, heavily accented voice from behind me.

If I had been standing, my head would have gone through the roof. I had jumped so violently, I actually felt Kishindo jump in my arms.

_My poor heart is in for quite a beating this week!_ I thought to myself as I looked around for the source of the voice.

Hovering over me, dressed in a white-collared, sweat-stained shirt and tie was the balding man that I had intentionally annoyed on the airplane and bus on our trip to Koko Milele. My heart, if at all possible, beat even faster and my stomach bottomed out. I had forgotten this man was on the reservation with us. He stood tall over me, looking down over his thick-rimmed glasses, which reflected the light in the room and hid his eyes. He tapped his foot impatiently.

I gulped. Boy, was I in for it _now_.

"I…I-uh, I was, uh…" I tried to say, pulling my arms quickly out of the cage and getting to my feet. The man was still a good half a foot taller than me, which only sent my heart thumping faster. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Kishindo's ears lower and his eyes contracted, his fur standing on end.

"It's the softest fur I've ever felt," He said casually. "He's quite a _special_ lion, that one."

"Y-yeah," I whispered, my voice stuck in the back of my throat.

"Relax, boy," The man said with a grin. "You're not in trouble. But it is late. You should head back to your room. Here, I'll take you."

He grabbed my arm, a little painfully, and guided me out of the surrounding area. Kishindo growled as the man pulled me away. The man's grip tightened on my arm as I resisted a bit, much to my discomfort.

"I can walk fine, thanks," I said, wrenching my arm from his beefy hand. I glanced at my arm and saw it was red and blotchy where he had grabbed me.

"My apologies, son," The bespectacled man said, smirking. "I didn't mean to hurt you. Please, let me introduce myself. I am Bedwing. Just Bedwing. I'm the owner of Koko Milele."

"A pleasure, Mr. Bedwing," I replied, narrowing my eyes intentionally. There was something off about this man. I couldn't tell you exactly what it was, but he had a very cold presence about him. Though he smiled, he seemed annoyed and irritable. He just seemed like a very unpleasant person to be around. I found it hard to believe that I dared to mock such a menacing man before. Stupid teenage arrogance…

"Likewise, Ayden," he said, not even looking at me. "Yes, I know your name. Your father booked the guest room months in advance. I've been preparing for your family's arrival."

"You have?" I asked, frowning a bit.

"Oh, yes. You see, your father told me your family's purpose here. I talked to him briefly on the plane ride over. You remember that, I take it?"

I gulped. "Yeah, I remember I sat behind you." I desperately wanted to change the subject. "What were you doing in the States?"

"Oh, my job takes me everywhere and back again. For business purposes," he answered quickly. "Anyways, I've arranged for a bit of a surprise for you and your family." He was grinning broadly now. "It should be quite helpful in your studies here."  
"What is it?" I asked, somewhat curious, though mostly filled with suspicion. I didn't like this man much. I still wasn't sure why though.

Apparently not being sure was a new state-of-mind for me.

"If I told you it wouldn't be a surprise, now would it?" he said mischievously.

_You wanna play _that_ game, huh?_

"If you tell me, I'll still act surprised," I replied coolly.

"Quite the naughty boy, aren't you?" He chuckled with a creepy smirk. "No, I'm sorry, Ayden. You'll just have to wait until tomorrow."

We reached the door to the guest room, and not soon enough, I thought.

"Now you head off to bed. Tomorrow's going to be a big day for you guys," he said with a smile.

"Thank you, sir," I replied, opening the door quietly and stepping in.

"And no more sneaking out," Bedwing added with a whisper before shutting the door behind me.

I stared at the door for a moment, trying to take it all in. Again, so many questions were bouncing all over my mind. What had just happened? The owner of the reservation had just caught me petting a dangerous predator. I'm sure I was probably breaking several rules just by doing that alone. The man already had, if rather brief, an unpleasant, history with my brother and I, and I was worried that would be his lasting impression of us. And what was this surprise he was talking about? Dad never mentioned a surprise before. As I took off my sneakers and slipped back into bed, I couldn't think of anything else besides Bedwing's glasses gleaming in the light.

_I hope he doesn't tell my parents tomorrow_, I thought before falling uneasily to sleep.


	4. In the Blink of an Eye

**Hey guys. So I know I promised this chapter would be up by the end of February to the beginning of March...and here it is, mid-March. Mid-terms, field trips, life, emotional crop-ups...the usual excuses. However Chapter 5 should be delivered fairly soon. I've written it already and it's in the hands of my betas. Hopefully that will be here within a week to two weeks at most.**

**Let me take a moment to advertise something. I've realized that a LOT of you are invested into this story, and I've figured that based on the flood of messages in my inbox asking when I'm going to update. So in hopes that I can sorta keep you guys up to speed with the writing process, I've started a Facebook page for my Author Profile, the link to which can be found on my profile page here on Fan Fiction. Or you can just search up "SimbaFan" on Facebook...whichever one suits your need. Just 'Like' the page there, and you can keep up with my updates on chapters and projects I'm working on. That way you'll know more about what I'm up to.  
**

**So by the end of this chapter, we'll be into what I initially wrote for my original story. With that said, enjoy!**

**

* * *

Chapter 4 – In the Blink of an Eye**

In the morning, once my family and I had all woken up and prepared for the day ahead, we left the room and headed to the cafeteria for breakfast. My heart thudded in my chest and I was particularly jumpy as we walked down the hallways, expecting Bedwing at every turn. Mom was already upset at me for seeing Kishindo _while_ I was supervised. An unsupervised and forbidden late-night excursion to play "house pet" with the same lion was a surefire way to get grounded for a month. Minimum.

But for the next three hours, I saw no sign of Bedwing. My family and I spent those three hours walking around the entire reservation, taking notes on how the trainers feed the lions, doing sketches of the lion's muscular features, and other random learning exercises; all of which was Bedwing-free. I was actually starting to wonder if Bedwing had forgotten about his supposed "surprise".

It's funny how just when you have those kinds of thoughts, the opposite tends to happen.

We had just left the cage of an older male lion who had done nothing more than laze about his cage for the better part of twenty minutes, when who should appear in the dead center of the hallway but our bespectacled bald friend himself. The sensation of my heart sinking into my suddenly nauseated stomach was not pleasant in the slightest. He stared at us, smiling broadly. Again, there was an unnerving sensation surrounding this man that I just couldn't shake.

"Hello there guests!" He said cheerfully as we walked up to him. "How are you enjoying your visit so far?"

"Very much, thank you Mr. Bedwing." My dad said, smiling back.

"Excellent." Bedwing grinned. "I'm glad to have run into my fine guests. I believe this belongs to you?"

He held up the key to our guest room. With a jolt of horror, I realized that I must have dropped the key in Kishindo's cage last night. Ice was now running through my veins.

"Where did you find that?" Mom asked, taking the key from Bedwing's pudgy hand. I held my breath, waiting nervously for my doom.

"I believe Ayden went to the bathroom last night. You must have dropped it in the hallway, because I found it there."

I'm not sure how I kept my composure, but somehow it managed to cling onto my suddenly capsized mind. After a second, I realized my mouth was open, and my mind raced to rediscover my words again. "Oh…yeah, I guess I did."

"No worries though, my boy. All's safe now" Again, he grinned, showing off his incredibly white teeth. "So…you clever boys learning a lot?"

"Yes, thank you." I said, trying to mask my uncertainty._Why did he lie to them about last night?_

Bedwing turned to Spencer. "And what about you, young man? Do you like the lions?"

"Yeah!" Spencer said, apparently not at all unnerved by the man with the glistening dome." "I'm learning lots! Ayden is too, but I don't think he's having fun. He kept saying back home that he wanted to see wild lions, not captive ones."

Ah, youth…so naïve, so truthful, so unaware that at that moment I just wanted to strangle every last bit of it out of him. Bedwing's smile widened as he leaned back and stared at me.

"Oh he did, now did he? Well I've got quite the surprise for you fine gentlemen-and lady", he acknowledged, "One that I'm sure Ayden here will _really_ appreciate."

Mom and Dad peered at Bedwing curiously, and Spencer was practically bouncing with excitement at the surprise. I, on the other hand, was more than a little intimidated.

"I've arranged for Aina to take the four of you out in a Jeep this afternoon on an extended safari to find a local pride of lions. Now you can study them in action!"

Dad's face was fairly surprised, much like my own, I'm sure. Though his emotions were far different than mine, I was sure. After a moment of stuttering, he managed to form a coherent sentence. "Well that is very kind of you Mr. Bedwing, but we don't want to be a burden to you or your staff."

"Oh it's no trouble at all, I assure you." Bedwing waved his hands in gentle protest. "Besides, I'm sure you've learned most of what you can already here. Captive lions can only yield so much information. Now you'll have much more to bring back on your study. And it's absolutely free of charge. What do you say? I'm sure Ayden would love to…he just _loves_ the lions, don't you young man?"

I smiled, but it was the last thing I felt like doing. His eyes met mine and somehow, I knew that if I were to decline then the information about last night's excursion would come pouring out. Dad turned to Mom, his face unsure, but his eyes clearly pleading. He obviously wanted to take this opportunity. "What do you think honey?"

"Well…let's ask the boys." Mom looked at Spencer. "What do you think?"

"Let's go _now_! I wanna go, Mom!"

Mom chuckled and glanced briefly at me. "And I already know your answer. So when do we leave?"

My mind lost focus on the conversation after that…did she really know my answer? Because if she did, she wouldn't have come to that conclusion so early. Any other chance, I would have jumped on the opportunity for a free safari to see wild lions…but the presentation of this opportunity was in the form of a cold, odd man who I just didn't trust. He really hadn't done anything to cause my distrust, but my instincts told me that this man was bad news. I would have been much more content with staying at the reservation than going out on the safari. But what choice did I have? I had a feeling that if I were to protest, Bedwing would come out with what I had done the night before and then I would be in deep trouble. Being forced into corners isn't fun. What was even _more_ unnerving, if at all possible, it felt like Bedwing was doing it on purpose. It seemed he had ulterior motives. Something about his exceedingly kind tone was off to me. Again, I didn't trust the man.

But what choice did I have?

The next hour blurred by for me. We had gone back to the room to pack for the safari. I didn't pay much attention to my family's excited chatter with each other. The only thing I really caught was that the safari was a two day trip, and that we'd be camping in the savannah overnight. I figured if I had to go through with this, I may as well be prepared for it. So I grabbed my backpack and started to fill it with camping supplies. For some reason, I was focused enough to pack my bag with enough supplies. Go figure…three changes of clothes, a small flashlight, a can of bug-spray, a box of granola bars, four bottles of water, my knife, a map, a pen, a lighter, and my sleeping bag tied on top of the backpack. By the time I zipped it up, Dad was halfway out the door, calling for me to hurry up. Hoisting the pack on my back, I rushed to the door and followed my family down the hall. My mind once again fell back into its' feeble attempt to make sense of the situation. But no answer presented itself.

The next thing I knew, we were piled into a jeep with Aina, driving though the savannah. Aina was driving with Dad in the passenger seat. The backseat was filled by my mom and I with Spencer between us. I looked back at the shrinking reservation and saw Bedwing standing at the entrance, waving to us. My stomach felt queasier and queasier as we kept on driving west.

For the next three hours, Aina was chattering away excitedly. Apparently it had been years since she had gone on safari. She didn't know of any pride of lions nearby and she wasn't sure how Bedwing was sure of the existence of one, but she said that's what the safari was about; searching for wildlife. She did know that a herd of elephants lived about 30 miles from the reservation, so that's where we were headed. I went ahead and marked the spot on my map where Aina showed me just for the sake of keeping my mind occupied away from my worries.

Mom turned to me at one point and asked me if I was excited. For her sake, I smiled and agreed. But inside, I couldn't help but feel a strange sense of foreboding. Like something bad was coming…the whole situation just seemed fishy to me. I pulled out my map again and stared at it intently, trying to memorize the areas surrounding Koko Milele.

By the time night had fallen, we had been driving out in the savannah for a good five hours. We stopped in the middle of nowhere and set up our tent. Spencer was running around our campsite, chattering away about what he wanted to see and how awesome it would be. Needless to say, Aina and Mom shushed him quickly. The last thing we needed was some wild animal, attracted by the noise, to wander upon our campsite. Aina told us that we'd be up early in the morning so we could be out and about with more time on our hands. With that, we all settled in the tent for the night.

As I lay in my sleeping bag, all I could think about was Bedwing. One word kept floating though my mind: _Why? _Why did I distrust Bedwing so much? Yes, the man was creepy…but did that really justify being this paranoid about him? Had he really done anything to me that could merit such a hasty judgment?

_Of course he hasn't…the man gave you exactly what you wanted, for free! He kept you out of trouble with your parents! Why are you so hasty to think badly of him?_

Something in that eased my thoughts, though I still didn't trust the man. For now, I decided to reserve judgment until we got back to the reservation.

Everybody else was already asleep by the time my thoughts slowed down enough for me to drift away. The last thing I thought before falling into the sleepy blackness was that at least we were far enough away from Bedwing. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't do anything to us out here.

* * *

"Hey Aina, can we pull over for a minute? Nature's calling."

"Sure thing Ayden." Aina chuckled, glancing back at me with a smile.

It had been about four hours since we'd woken up and headed out for the day's adventure. The jeep was fairly quiet, due mostly to Spencer having fallen asleep. He wasn't much of an early bird, and within seconds of buckling up he had fallen asleep with his head on Mom's shoulder. Bedwing's trustworthiness still weighed on my mind, but I figured that since I knew essentially nothing, I may as well enjoy what was coming ahead. I had borrowed mom's camera and was using it to snap some pictures of the beautiful landscape when I felt the call of nature.

Aina slowed the jeep to a stop near a large acacia tree.

"You can go behind there, Ayden."

"Thanks Aina."

I opened the door to step out, but my foot caught in the shoulder strap of my backpack and I fell clumsily onto the ground outside in a heap.

"Ayden, are you alright?" Mom called from her seat, unbuckling herself. Bless their hearts, Dad and Spencer were roaring with laughter.

"I'm fine! Don't get out!" I called, laughing as well. I stood up and brushed myself off. There was an odd, high-pitched ringing in my ears, but I figured it was just from the fall. I looked back at the jeep, where Dad and Spencer were still laughing their heads off. Mom and Aina were giggling a bit as well. I smiled at them, shouldered the backpack, and headed to the tree.

As I walked, the ringing in my ears grew quieter. I didn't think much of it other than it was just the pain fading. I attended to my business behind the tree, and the ringing was still there; faint, but there.

I finished up and started to head back to the jeep. Now I noticed something odd. The ringing, instead of continuing to go away, grew steadily louder the closer I got to the jeep. I stopped to listen, but the second I noticed it, it stopped.

And then, an intense blast of fire burst into being, sounding as if the earth had rent itself apart.

The blast knocked me backward, and I landed painfully, smacking my head against the ground. There was another ringing in my ears from the combination of the loud explosion and my head meeting the dirt. It felt like my eyes were rolling around in their sockets, sending a wave of nausea through my stomach. I grabbed my head in a feeble attempt to stop the spinning. The only thing that fixed itself was _now_ the ringing was starting to subside…

…but another sound immediately came cramming through. It was horrible and heart-wrenching; a sound that would haunt my dreams, a sound that tore at my very heart; the sound of bloodcurdling screaming and crackling flame.

I sat up through my dizzying haze, and looked around, terrified of what I would see, until my eyes found the jeep. The car was engulfed in violent flame. The windows had all been smashed out and were spewing black smoke into the air. My family and Aina were frantically flailing about inside the fireball…and they were all screaming.

God, the screaming…it was like that sound was manifesting itself into a giant fist that grasped at my insides and was jerkily ripping them out. My heart was pounding well up into my throat, and suddenly I was on my feet dashing towards the jeep. I threw off my backpack and ran faster until I slammed against the metal inferno at the driver's door. Adrenaline coursing through my veins, I grabbed at the door handle and pulled, but the heat had already melted the hinges to the handle. It came off, leaving the door completely unmoved.

Aina was behind this window, her hair and clothes aflame. Her face was scarred, bloody, and newly sprouted burns and boils were bubbling on her skin. Her aged, blue eyes bulged in pure terror as she thrashed around desperately. I pulled and pulled at the door, but it wouldn't budge. Flames were spreading from the engine to the underbelly of the car, and they emerged up the sides. My right arm was caught in one of these flames, and I instantly recoiled in pain, but I was too focused on the situation at hand to care how bad I was hurt. I needed to do something, and I needed to do it _fast._ I couldn't bear to think of the consequences, should I fail.

"I'll save you! _Hold on!_" I screamed, scrambling around the car. I started grabbing at each of the door handles, wrenching at each of them, only to find the same result as with Aina's door. All four of the doors remained unopened, and now completely useless from the outside. Screaming at the top of my lungs in desperation, I kicked at the door in front of me in hopes of loosening it. But no such luck was with me.

The screams from within the car were just as loud as ever, and they seemed to be getting louder and more anguished. The metaphorical knife that had been jammed into my heart was painfully being twisted with every cry from my family. Throwing all caution to the wind, I drove my arm into the unknown hole I'd created, frenziedly grabbing onto anything that still felt alive. The flames licked up the side of the jeep and burned my forearm, but I gritted my teeth and bore through it. After a couple seconds, I found something that felt horribly like something wet and crispy, and I grabbed hold and pulled.

It was my mom's arm. I recognized the feminine hand as I tugged it through the window. Blood was free-flowing from open wounds and burns. I pulled it further into the open, but it wouldn't come out any further. Mom's shoulder hit the side of the jeep, and I saw that the seatbelt, though on fire, was still intact and holding her tightly into her deadly seat. Her fingers flexed frantically in my grip, but she managed to hold onto my hand.

"_MOM!_" I screamed over her own and everybody else's. Tears started streaming from my eyes as I despairingly tugged at her, trying to save her life. "_Mom, please!_"

I kept on tugging, getting as close as possible to the flaming jeep, feeling the flames agonizingly licking my stomach and arms. But I didn't care. I would have rather had them burned completely off than let go of my mother. I would have died before I was stopped in my effort to save her. Because I couldn't lose my family…my mother, my father, my brother…I could not let them die. I needed them! I loved them! If I let them die, there was no way I could live with myself!

But then, as if to pour salt into my emotional wounds, the worst sound of all filled my mind.

Or rather…a lack of sound.

Utter, and total silence.

The screaming had stopped.

My mom's flexing fingers stopped moving, and her blood-covered arm went limp.

My mind froze. The only thing that moved were the flames.

"No…"

I tugged at the limp arm, sure that I was just seeing things.

"Mom, no…"

My tugs were turning into desperate pulls. The tears, which were already free flowing, now multiplied.

"Mom! Dad! Spencer! _NO!_"

I tugged at that arm, wanting nothing else but to wake up from this horrible nightmare.

"GOD! NO! _This isn't happening!_"

But as if to directly contradict me that it was, the flames below the car reached the gas tank. A fiery explosion from directly below me suddenly expanded into a massive shockwave that threw me back. I lost sight of the jeep and my family as I spun through the air. I don't even remember the landing. I just know that suddenly, and without warning, everything went black.

* * *

Pain.

Complete and agonizing pain is what brought me back to my senses. Every nerve-ending in my stomach, arms, and blood-covered hands was screaming at me in agony. And my voice joined in with them. The screaming didn't make the pain go away…but somehow, it was helping. Everything that had built up inside, every angry, painful, desperate feeling now had some kind of release to escape through.

All of this, and I hadn't even moved a muscle or opened my eyes yet.

When the pain became somewhat normal and my voice became hoarse, I stopped screaming and dared to open my eyes.

Many hours must have passed, because the sky was blood red as the sun set. Slowly, I started to sit up. My stomach started to protest in anguish, but I pushed forward through small, harsh breaths.

My eyes gazed around through a haze. I tried to make sense of things around me, but all I could really see was blurred objects and some smoldering smoke rising gently from the ground some ten feet ahead of me. I squinted, trying to see if I could make out anything. All I could see was a large, unrecognizable pile of twisted metal, surrounded by chunks of smaller, charred pieces. There was no sign of any life at all.

The grief smashed down on my shoulders, and I fell painfully back to the ground with a cry.

This was impossible! This hadn't happened! There was no way this nightmare was happening…mere hours ago, we were all happy, healthy, together…alive! The only thing I had even worried about was my parents catching me disobeying them. And now that worry was totally worthless; insignificant! Within a matter of moments, everything was ripped from my clutches…my heart had been torn out, barbecued in the fire and smoke and ashes of my family, and then roughly jammed back into my chest. They were gone...in the worst way I could have ever imagined! They had _suffered_, died in agony, screamed until their very last moments…

And the worst thought of all blazed through my mind like another explosion: one that sent my anguished heart plummeting down into my stomach faster than light itself; I could have saved them. I could have done _so much _more to save their lives. _Every_ one of those windows had been smashed open. A thousand scenarios popped up in my head now; a thousand ways that I could have freed any of my family members from the seatbelts. A thousand thoughts of what could have been done flashed before my eyes, taunting me with the knowledge that I'd failed; That what I had tried to do to save them had not been good enough. And now, because I was not quick enough, because I was too _stupid_ to actually think of what _could_ have helped, my family was dead. And still further, now the guilt came crashing through my skull. _I_ was the only one left alive. Because I didn't do enough, my punishment was to lose them _all _before my very eyes. Not only did they have to die, but I had to _watch_ them die_._ And somehow, I felt like I deserved this; if I couldn't even save my own mother, why should I be allowed to keep her? Or any of them for that matter? If I couldn't prove my worth when it meant the most, why on Earth did I deserve _anything? _And honestly, what had I even _done_ to try and save her? Cry and pull pointlessly on her arm! And what did I have to show for my efforts? A few burns on my arms and stomach, and not a single hope left in my now completely God-forsaken world!

And now my mind turned viciously toward God…He had allowed this to happen! He had ripped my family from my arms, pulverized my heart, and left me to live in this Hell-hole of an existence! I had been spared for no reason other than to experience this intense suffering. Was He toying with me? Was He taking pleasure in my anguish? Was this just a _game_ to Him?

It was at this point that I realized that I was still screaming, crying out to the heavens for the loss that I had been put through. I could taste the blood in my own mouth from my throat growing raw from the tortured howls that sprang from my lungs. It was all too much…I wanted to die right then and there. I wanted everything to stop and for me to just die; to leave this earth and have this pain and guilt lifted.

I tried to stand up, with no clear motive of what to do next. I just wanted out of this. I wanted to do _anything_ that I could to get away from here. I wanted to run…run away from everything; to try and escape my pain, my guilt…But as I pulled myself up, my body protested in tormenting pain, and I collapsed pitifully in a heap.

Again, I could feel my heartbeat rising in an attempt to get my blood rushing fast enough. But everything was building within me. There was no way that feeble, fist-sized organ could ever have kept up with the wave of physical and emotional pain engulfing me. I was losing breath fast, and my vision grew more and more hazy. Everything was darkening again, and my head grew light. One final coherent thought ran feebly through my mind before I fell into unconsciousness.

_They're gone…and you couldn't save them…_


	5. Madness is Like Gravity

**Considering my previous update habits, this is actually relatively fast, huh guys? XD**

**Hey guys...so the majority of this chapter was written on a tour bus going to Sacramento, San Francisco, and back home. Which means I'm pretty proud of myself for plunking this all out in that kind of environment. I believe this is my longest chapter to date. Not much else to say other than have fun and enjoy! **

**And yes, the chapter title is a quote from "The Dark Knight"...I couldn't help it. XD  
**

**

* * *

Chapter 5 – Madness is Like Gravity**

An incredible and blindingly bright light burst from nothingness. Instinctively, I raised my arms to shield my eyes.

"What's going on?" I called out. I had no consciousness beyond what I could see. I had no memory of how I got here, or anything that happened before. Despite my best efforts to try and remember, not a single memory or previous thought surfaced. Only one thing was clear in my mind. This bright light was here. And it required my immediate attention. Why, I didn't know. But I knew that it wasn't going away, so may as well try, right?

"W-what do you want?"

The light was warm and bright and made no sound. I slowly lowered my arms, allowing my eyes to adjust. Bizarre yet mesmerizing,I looked around, trying to pinpoint the source of the light, but I seemed to be standing right in the source. I stepped around, trying to see if I was standing on it. But the light source remained as bright as ever. Then a strange thought occurred to me…

I looked down, and to my complete surprise, my suspicions were correct. _I_ was the light source. More accurately, the light seemed to be strongest from my chest, where my heart was. I stared at it bewilderedly.

"Wha-?"

I slowly moved my fingers up my chest, and stopped right as they came within an inch of the light. I considered for a moment whether it was safe to touch it, but then I realized that it was already touching me…so if I tried to touch it, it couldn't do anything to me. I discarded my doubt and touched the light.

It was instantaneous. The light glowed brighter than before to where I couldn't see anything but pure white. I yelled and closed my eyes, but nothing changed. The light was so bright that it pierced right through my eyelids. I opened and closed my eyes desperately until I figured that there was no difference at all. And then the brightness disappeared, shooting straight ahead of me and stopping about ten feet ahead. I shielded my eyes, trying to make sense of this.

And then there was a sound: the sound of something coming towards me, emanating from the light. It was a soft patter, not a harsh echo, which made me think whatever was coming at me was barefoot.

"Hello?"

As it drew nearer, I could make out that the moving object was shorter than me, but considerably larger. I stepped back as I recognized that shape. It was a lion, and it was the most natural lion I had ever seen, with a pelt tan as the purest sand on the most untouched beach, with a mane only a shade darker. The piercing black and yellow eyes of this lion were mesmerizing and fear-inspiring. Kindness beside power, tenderness beneath greatness, love imbued with wrath; these were the images I saw reflected in those intense orbs.

The lion stopped about two feet from me, staring up into my eyes. I couldn't tear my gaze away for any reason.

"Wha…what do you want?"

The lion blinked. Then, in the same second, he opened his mouth and released a deafening roar; a majestic and frightening sound. I braced my arms in front of me as the force of the lion's roar started to push me back on my feet. I was yelling, my mind racing on what to do. The light was engulfing me once more. And again, I could see nothing but white…

* * *

I opened my eyes and blinked blearily. For a moment, I was confused about why I was laying outside in the middle of the night. And why the acrid smell of burning metal and rubber lingered in my nostrils. And why my body felt like it was on fire.

Then my mind caught up with my body, and the memories came flooding back.

Something deflated deep inside me. The sadness I had felt before I passed out was inexplicably gone. And I didn't know why. But somehow, I didn't care about that. In fact, I didn't care about anything now. Everything was numb. There was a void of emptiness within. I couldn't feel anything, and I really didn't want to. It didn't occur to me to be sad. Why should I be sad? What on earth would wallowing in pity and sorrow do?

Somehow, despite the pain of moving, I pulled myself to my feet. I guess the numbing from inside was starting to spread. I glanced around and laid eyes on my backpack about thirty feet away. Without thinking, I walked to the backpack and picked it up. Not once did I even glance at the remaining charred heap that was the jeep and, presumably, the remains of my family and Aina.

I couldn't remember which way the jeep had been facing. I had stupidly left my compass back at the reservation and I had never studied the stars beyond learning where the Big Dipper was. So I couldn't figure out which direction to go. I glanced around for a minute, then settled on walking in the opposite direction of where I'd been facing when I woke up.

The time to mourn, to hope, to feel again would come in time. I knew this pain would pass. But now, I didn't want to feel that. I couldn't drag myself down. I was in the middle of one of the harshest environments known to man, and I needed to focus on surviving. How I came to this decision, I can't tell you. I just knew that survival wasn't an emotion; it was a basic necessity, one that I needed to ensure remained intact, however tattered it was.

And from then on, I didn't look back. I kept my eyes forward. No matter what obstacle was in my path, be it boulder, river, or endless grassland, I kept moving forward…far away from the horrible sight and memories. I wanted nothing more to do with that place. But despite the numbness, the memories of what had happened refused to fade, replaying over and over in my mind's eye. And the more I saw it, the more the numbness started to ebb away. I found my face increasingly wetter from the silent tears as I walked, but I didn't stop. I had a feeling that if I stopped walking now, I'd never be able to move forward again. I had to push through, at least until I needed to sleep.

When I finally managed to pull out of my own head and look around at where I was, the sun was starting to peak the mountains directly behind me. Apparently I was headed west. Whether the reservation was there or not, I wasn't sure. But I had to keep moving _somewhere_. Staying put wouldn't have done me any good. Glancing down at my stomach, I noticed for the first time that most of the front of my shirt has been burned completely off. I pulled my backpack and grabbed another shirt, tore the burnt one off, and stuck it in the pack. As I pulled on the fresh shirt, waves of pain shot through my stomach and arms as the cloth met burnt skin. Through gritted teeth, I took a couple steps forward, but the pain seared through each step. As slowly as possible, I slipped the shirt off and stuffed it back into my pack.

"Fine…" I muttered. "I'll play the hard way."

With a heavy, resolute sigh, I kept moving forward.

A day quickly blurred into three. Time seemed almost irrelevant. My mind was on an undeterred track leading forward to no clear destination, and it didn't care how long it took to get there. I counted myself lucky that I never happened upon any animals, predator or otherwise. Probably better that things went that way, considering that in my current state there was no way I could even attempt to defend myself…not that I felt much of an urge to do so. I wanted to stay alive, so I kept walking, but the emptiness inside kept me from wanting to survive any further than that. Negative thoughts kept filling the buzzing void in my mind; thoughts of guilt, doubt, and even suicide. I kept telling myself that I had survived the accident for a reason, that there was a bigger purpose behind everything; that something good would still come of this…but survivor's guilt tends to get in the way of positive thoughts like that.

_You're alive…but you've lost everything. You could have done more to save them. You could have at _least_ saved one of them…_

I would scream out to the heavens anytime thoughts like that occurred. They did nothing but drag down my already-heavy mind. I would walk faster in an attempt to escape the pessimistic side of my mind, though I noticed that it was becoming more and more predominant.

The days dragged on as I kept trudging westward. I'd started to realize that a box of granola bars and four bottles of water, though now a complete blessing, would not last me long. I'd already gone through half the granola bars, and I only had two-and-a-half bottles of water left. And unfortunately, I came to realize why I had not run into any animals yet; animals tend to live near an accessible source of water. No animals meant no water. Which meant that if I didn't find help within a week, I _was_ going to die.

By now, the horrible images of my family burning alive had ben burned into my brain. As I saw them more and more, my stomach would lurch, as if I was on an uncomfortable roller coaster of my emotions. My heart would occasionally thump viciously, like a percussionist for a heavy-metal band. My mind was incessantly grasping at nothing, trying desperately to think of things aside from that horrible memory…yet I couldn't escape it, no matter how hard I tried.

The burns on my stomach and left arm were starting to heal themselves pretty well, but the burn on my right forearm felt like it was getting worse. It still prevented me from comfortably wearing a shirt. And with the African summer sun beating down in the daytime, I was going to be very surprised if I didn't have skin cancer before my journey ended, however that would be. Around the fifth or sixth day, I had to climb up a particularly rocky area. It was then that I noticed that I could not lift myself up using predominantly my right arm. It would shake and sear with pain if I put too much pressure on it. When I managed to painfully get over the rocks, I looked down and saw that the burn had cracked open and was starting to seep blood and pus. I grabbed the burnt shirt from my backpack and gingerly dabbed at the wound to clean it as best as I could. But it still kept on bleeding. With a heavy sigh, I grabbed one of the two water bottles and carefully poured some water. Boy, did that sting like hell…but I was in my own personal hell anyways, so what difference did it make?

By the end of the week, I was down to one granola bar, and that was it. I'd used up all my water in an attempt to stifle the occasional bout of dehydration. I was feeling weak and light headed from time to time and I knew that I was starting to see things; at one point, my backpack was a gigantic spider clinging around my neck. Needless to say, I found enough energy to run around, screaming and trying to pull the damn thing off. And another time, I could have sworn that the sun was changing colors on me…I knew that I was hallucinating, but somehow I wasn't freaking out. Much.

My stomach was protesting in agony once again, but this time out of hunger. I'd always heard about the horrid feeling of starvation, but hearing about it and experiencing it are two separate things entirely. All in all, I could feel myself slowly deteriorating into a lethal delusional stupor. I could sense the looming presence of death nearby, and it was only a matter of time before it swooped down on me.

About two days after I was out of water, I had been reduced to a weak, limp-like walk while occasionally falling to a meager crawl. I had also taken to talking to myself just to keep my mind occupied. Most of the time, it didn't really make sense…but what sense could someone like me at that point make?

On this particular day, I was miraculously on my feet, staring around wide-eyed, not entirely all there.

"No more…I don't-_Mom!_ …what's for dinner?"

Clearly I wasn't paying much attention to anything, much less where I was going, and I paid for that. I ran headfirst into a very large, gray rock and fell flat on my backside.

At least I _thought_ it was a rock. Until it protested loudly.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!"

My head spun as I looked up into the eyes of a massive elephant. I smiled maniacally.

"Oh, hi Mr. Elephant…do you know…the sun? It's…in the sky. Weird, huh?"

"_What _are you going on about?" the elephant asked, thoroughly confused.

Another elephant, this one slightly smaller than the one before me, came to join him.

"Mafesto, what's this?" The elephant's voice was clearly female.

I stood up while the two stared at me, looking a little concerned. I smiled, walking in a zigzag formation away from them. "Well, it's nice to meet you talking elephants…I've gotta go dig me some grubs now…"

The last thing I caught before I was away from the two elephants was the female's concerned voice.

"Mafesto, should I go tell the King about this?"

"Talking elephants…" I chuckled madly to myself. "What'll they think of next? I really am crazy, aren't I?"

And with that, I fell to my knees and started to crawl inch by inch. I was weak beyond clear thought, and I could feel my heart pumping rapidly to get my blood flowing to my brain fast enough. It wasn't doing a very good job.

My head spun faster, but looking around, I was able to make out a large, distinctly shaped rock formation just off in the distance.

"Oh look…the letter 'L'", I mumbled to myself when I registered the rock. "'L"…Ha! Like for 'lion'…I think it's naptime now."

I couldn't crawl another step, and so I fell face forward into the dirt. I felt ready to pass out, and I knew that this time, there would be no waking up. I'd be with my family soon enough…I'd escaped death just long enough to put up a good fight, but it just wasn't good enough. With a sigh, I tried to come to terms with my fate, though how coherently I did was up for debate.

How long I lay awake there, I don't know. All I know is that the next thing I was aware of was the soft padding of footsteps ahead of me. That sound was vaguely familiar, like something from a dream. I lifted my head wearily from the dirt and came face to face with a pair of ruby eyes. Upon focusing my vision, I saw that the eyes belonged to a dark tan lioness, which was a mere two feet in front of me. She stared at me, not with hunger or caution, but curiosity.

Death had found me. And I was ready. I sighed as I felt the darkness closing in. The last thought I had was that I would at least be a decent meal, and that I'd be with my family in just a few moments.

And I knew no more.

* * *

My head was throbbing. I moaned in pain, keeping my eyes shut in an attempt to stem the pain.

"My head…what happened?"

"You gave us quite a scare there." A deep male voice was speaking from somewhere beyond me. "I almost thought you were a lost cause."

I didn't recognize the voice, but it didn't sound threatening. I opened my eyes and was met with a cool, gray surface high above me with a small crevice which was streaming with light from outside. Judging by the way things echoed here, I assumed I was in a cave of some sort.

"Where am I?" I mumbled, holding my head as I tried to sit up.

"Easy now. You're not well yet," the voice said, still outside of my view. I felt a large hand gently push me back down to the ground. "You don't want to injure yourself again."

I closed my eyes when he pulled me back to the ground, and my head spun again. When the merry-go-round in my brain came to a halt, I opened my eyes and looked up at my rescuer.

The shock I was in for nearly made me pass out again. Sitting above me was not a human, but a full-grown lion with a thick auburn mane and stern, amber eyes. Within seconds, I was on my feet and had backed up into a wall only a few feet behind me. I regretted it instantly as my head exploded in a wave of dizziness and pain, and I slumped down the wall.

"Sta-stay away! I have a knife!"

I actually didn't have it on me, but I didn't want this lion coming any closer. I just wanted to give him a reason to stay back. He wasn't intimidated. The only emotion I could decipher from him was concern.

"Please, don't move around so much." The lion was walking towards me. My heart leapt into my throat as he drew closer. "It took our shaman a full day to get you stable again. We're trying to help you."

"Why do you want to help me?" I asked frantically, trying to back further into the wall. "So I'm healthy for you to eat?"

Suddenly, the insanity of the situation at hand hit me in full like a close-range shotgun blast.

"How are you doing that?"

"What? Helping you?" The lion looked puzzled. "Like I said, our shaman Raf-"

"Not that!" I shouted, utterly floored. "How are you talking?"

The lion blinked. "I've always been able to talk, ever since I was a cub."

"But I can understand you….how can I understand you?"

"I…don't know." He said slowly. "How can I understand _you_?"

This last question was laced with a sarcastic implication, as if this was a totally normal situation for him.

"Humans and animals don't exactly understand each other." I replied, starting to get a little annoyed in my frantic fright. "Seriously, _how_ are you doing this?"

"Honestly, I don't think how we can understand each other is a pressing issue." The lion said with a resolute nod. "First and foremost, I wish to make sure that you are all right. I mean you no harm at all, so if you would please relax, this will go much faster. So tell me, does anything hurt? Are you in any pain?"

I stared at the lion, bewildered and unsure of what to do. My instinct told me to try and make a break for it…I mean, seriously, who _wouldn't_ run from a talking lion? I'd been through enough in these last three weeks, and now I was to believe that lions could talk? That I had completely lost my mind seemed the more logical answer. And yet…

This lion seemed to genuinely care for my wellbeing. Why else would I not be in little masticated pieces deep in his stomach? A calming voice deep in my mind told me to trust him.

I sighed and slid back down the wall. "My head is throbbing and I'm dizzy, but that's probably from my little episode right there. My stomach and left arm feel fine. My right arm feels a lot better than it did before, but it's still kinda painful. Other than that, I think I'm fine."

"Good." The lion smiled. "Now I think some introductions are in order. I am Mufasa, King of the Pride Lands."

"And I am Sarabi," came another voice from around a corner that I hadn't noticed until now. Out from the crevice stepped a powerfully built lioness with a dark-tan pelt and piercing ruby eyes. It was the very same lioness I had come face-to-face with before passing out. "Mufasa's mate and Queen at his side."

"You're the one who found me?" I asked Sarabi.

"Yes, and I must say you less than rational when I did." She chuckled. "I believe you mentioned something about going to dig for grubs…at least that's what Mafesto told me."

"Oh, that…" I laughed embarrassedly. "I was a little dehydrated. I couldn't think straight."

"I gathered as much." Sarabi smiled. "So what do you call yourself?"

"Ayden. Ayden Sumpter."

"A pleasure, Ayden." Mufasa said with a grin. I nodded with a smile of my own, though I had to force it. "Well, as King it is my responsibility to know the business of outside visitors, and I must ask what yours is here in my Kingdom."

And suddenly, it became very hard to even look at him. He had asked the one question I had secretly hoped would go unasked. But I knew it would have to come up. But did it have to come up this soon? I couldn't even look him in the eyes when I answered. Instead, I focused on my shoelaces.

"I was just passing through. I came to Africa for a vacation with my family. And about a week ago they…"

The word caught painfully in my throat as it came up. I swallowed and felt my eyes start to water.

"…they died. In a horrible accident. And I've been wandering on my own ever since then. I have no clue where I am or where I'm going. I probably would have died if you hadn't found me."

When I finished, I noticed the round dark circles in the stone below me, and I realized that the tears had started to fall on their own. I swore internally at myself for letting myself break down like this, in front of a king of all people…or lions. And now the tears really started to fall. Yet as I started to imagine Mufasa's and Sarabi's looks of incredulity at this pitiful boy weeping before them, I felt something warm and furry on my shoulder. Breathing deep, I looked up and saw that Sarabi had come up to me and rested her head and neck on my shoulder in what was unmistakably a hug. For one wild second, I didn't move, unsure of what to do.

"I know how you feel, Ayden," she whispered. "My mother passed on only a year ago. It's hard, I know."

And with that, I put my arms around her neck and cried into her shoulder. She placed a paw around my back and drew me closer, whispering comfort into my ear. For the first time since their deaths, I could properly mourn my family's loss. I had somebody to comfort me, to help me through the pain. Without knowing how or why, I found myself in the hands…or rather, paws of a motherly figure, someone who I instantly knew I could trust. The fact that I could speak with and understand her and Mufasa was still confusing…but what did it matter? It wasn't hurting anything. Quite the opposite. They had nursed me back to help, saved me from the brink of death, and provided me with a comforting embrace that I desperately needed. I didn't need to know why I could understand them. I could, and that was all that was important right now.

In those few brief moments in Sarabi's embrace, I could feel the weight lifted from my heart. The empty void within me was starting to fill with care and comfort. It felt good to be here. I dared to think that it even felt _right_. And when she and I finally broke apart, it was peaceful, and I was wearing a smile.

"Thanks, Sarabi," I whispered.

"You're welcome," she said with a smile. Her eyes shimmered as well. And it was more than just tears. There was something else there too; a sparkle of hope…

"Ayden, would you excuse Mufasa and I for a moment? There's something I need to talk to him about."

I glanced up at Mufasa, who smiled comfortingly at me. I returned it and nodded at Sarabi. She turned and Mufasa escorted her out through the opening, out of sight.

I had a feeling I knew what Sarabi was going to ask him. I figured she had felt sorry for me in that moment, and she would probably be asking him if I could stay for a while until I felt good enough to set off on my own again, and I have to say that I would gladly have accepted that offer.

Looking around, I could now properly see where I was. To put it bluntly, I was in a cave; a very round one at that. In the very center was a circular rock, raised about a foot higher than the rest of the floor. As I had noticed before, there was a crevice at the top of the high-ceiling that emitted a beam of light, illuminating the cave. Then of course, there was the opening on the left side of the cave where Sarabi and Mufasa had gone through. Glancing down, I noticed a medium, shadowy lump about four feet to the right of me. With a jolt of surprise, I recognized it as my backpack. Shakily, I braced myself against the wall, stood up slowly, and started walking gingerly towards it. I crumpled down when I reached it and unzipped the largest pouch. Everything I had packed was accounted for, minus the food and water I had depleted.

I heard the padding of paws and turned to see Mufasa and Sarabi standing on the raised platform-like rock in the center of the cave. They were silent for a moment. I waited for one of them to speak.

"Well?" Mufasa said, looking over at Sarabi.

"Well, what?" She replied with a smirk.

"Are you going to ask him?"

"You're the King, I thought you should be the one to ask him."

"It was _your_ idea. One I happen to agree with, but it's still _your_ idea."

"Yes, but you're the one who makes the decisions final around here."

"Well at this moment, you have that power."

"Oh fine, you big softie." Sarabi rolled her eyes before looking back at me. She smirked at what I was sure was the thoroughly confused look on my face. "Ayden," She questioned, "We were wondering…what are your plans now?"

_Just like I thought…_

"Well…" I stopped for a moment, not really sure what my plan was. Did I even have one? I settled on just winging it, considering I probably would be doing so anyways. "I really didn't have a plan. I suppose I'll just keep heading west. Odds are either I'll find civilization or the coast, whichever comes first."

_Probably the latter_, I thought bitterly.

"Why do you ask?"

Sarabi's eyes sparkled. "Well, Mufasa and I think that if you don't have anywhere to go or anyone to go to, maybe you could stay with us?"

"Like…until I could take care of myself?" I asked, wanting to clarify.

"We were thinking more along the lines of indefinitely," Mufasa smiled.

There was no hesitation. For the first time in weeks, my face broke into a broad grin. "I think I'd like that very much."

Mufasa and Sarabi smiled at each other.

"Then there's just one more thing to take care of," Mufasa said with a glance backward.

"What?" I asked, feeling ready for whatever challenge they had for me. A seed of happiness had been planted within me, and it was slowly blossoming.

Mufasa grinned. "We'll need to introduce you to the rest of the Pride."


	6. Mufasa's Pride

**Hi guys...I suppose you'll all have some choice words for the lack of updates in the last two months. I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't mind if you guys had at it (I.E. I'm sorry and let's just move on.)**

**We're getting into the chapters I've written before now, so for those of you who've read the original story, most of it from here on out will be the same as before, just written better. However I do have plans to create at least one other sub-plot as well as bring in a few newer characters. **

**...Oh, and by the way guys, there's something I've been meaning to say for some time. I'd really appreciate it if you don't end your reviews with "Update!". I update at my own pace, and telling me to do it faster isn't going to get the result you're looking for. Plus, just my own personal belief...it's a bit rude, considering this isn't a requirement for me but rather just a recreational activity. Thanks!**

**So with that said, enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 6 – Mufasa's Pride**

Mufasa and Sarabi both walked towards me and stopped on either side.

"We'll have to go outside. Can you stand?" Mufasa asked.

"I might need some help," I said with a chuckle. The two lions lowered themselves down and I placed my arms over each of their necks. They nodded simultaneously, and stood up together. I managed to get to my feet without my head spinning like a top, though the dizziness still came in sickening waves.

"Ugh…I'm gonna need some _serious_ R & R after this," I mumbled to myself as I started shuffling my feet in the direction the lions were moving.

"Arennar?" Sarabi asked as we started to turn a corner through the entrance. "I'm not familiar with that term. What does it mean?"

"R & R?" I replied disbelievingly. "You don't know 'R & R'? 'Rest and relaxation'?"

"R & R…rest and relaxation," she said slowly and deliberately, sounding out each syllable. "I suppose that makes sense. But why couldn't you just have said that in the beginning?"

I opened my mouth to give a response, but stopped abruptly, my jaw stupidly frozen mid-word. Fact was, I couldn't come up with an answer. I closed my mouth and thought for a second. "It's just a human thing, I guess."

Sarabi simply smiled.

"You'll have to tell us about your people sometime," Mufasa said, glancing back at me. "I'm sure there's a lot we can learn."

"I guess so," I replied. I thought on this for a moment, wondering what kinds of things I would have to explain to them about. I supposed it would be like my family vacations before, where I had to explain a few things I said or did occasionally. I had a feeling that this situation would be a lot more difficult due to the differences in species rather than culture.

We crossed through the exit of the cave and out into the open. My eyes grew wide as a wonderful sight suddenly stretched before me. We were standing at the base of a long rock extending out to the east about fifty feet out at a slight upward angle. The cave behind us had been a part of an even larger rock jutting into the sky. But it was beyond this amazing rocky structure that things turned beautiful. The lands around us were covered in miles upon miles of long green grass. Every here and there was an acacia or baobab tree standing independently. The deep violet sky above shimmered with the light of a thousand stars, surrounding the iridescent orb that was the full moon. The lands bathed in the glory of the white glow that shone down. Everything was still, and a sense of peace hovered gently above this place.

Something about seeing the beauty of this place really eased my running emotions. And it was very strange to me. I hadn't felt this way in quite some time. It was a feeling that I only felt in one other place; a place I was currently many miles away from, and would probably never see again. It's that place that makes you feel safe, secure, and composed; where everything is okay, no matter how bad things seem to get. That place, that feeling…it's all easily wrapped up into one word; home.

I was brought from my gazing stupor by the sound of somebody clearing their throat. Blinking fervently, I swung my head around and met eyes with Mufasa, who was smiling at me, his eyebrow cocked.

"You all right?" he asked through a grin.

"You know…I think I will be."

"Good." He turned and strode quickly up the promontory that jutted out. Once at the edge, he breathed deep for a moment before releasing an intense roar that echoed a few times across the grasslands.

"What was that about?" I wondered out loud.

Sarabi glanced up at me. "He's calling the pride home."

"So this is home?" I asked, looking up at the peak of the rock.

"Yes. This is Pride Rock." She smiled brightly as she looked around at Pride Rock. "This has been the home to our pride for four generations."

"My great-grandfather and a small pride he led came across these lands many years ago," Mufasa said thoughtfully as he came back to our circle. "They settled here and began to establish the rules and bylaws that we still adhere to today."

"You guys don't just let things naturally run their course?" I asked. Admittedly, I was a little confused. I'd always thought nature took care of things on its own in the wild. Mufasa was just about to answer when three lionesses stepped up and into view, followed closely by six more. Another four arrived soon after, with five cubs frolicking between their legs as they came up. The lionesses were all chatting curiously with each other as they walked up and started to form a large circle around our group. Well...they _were_ chatting with each other until they laid eyes on me, that is. One by one, as they formed a circle around Sarabi, Mufasa, and I, every single eye focused on me. From what I could discern, the conceded emotion among each one was a mixture of fear and interest. At least I knew that's how I felt. I mean, seriously, you try letting yourself be surrounded by over a dozen lions and not feeling a little nervous.

One of the lionesses was talking exceedingly louder as she came to her place in the circle.

"…nearly had that antelope. A few more seconds and it would have been mine! If this is just another party re-assignment, I swear I'll…"

Her eyes flicked in Mufasa's direction as her sentence trailed off, before they came to settle on me. Quite suddenly, they grew wide with shock and her lips parted slightly, releasing a steady stream of air, her words lost somewhere among that hiss. She looked dazed for a moment, as if she were hallucinating. There was something unnerving about the way she stared at me. Against my better judgment, I locked eyes with the lioness. Her expression changed the instant I did so, and I suddenly regretted it. They were narrowed, intensifying the already creepy blood-red irises. They instilled the strange yet unmistakable sensation of nervousness knotting up in the pit of your stomach. It was pure, unadulterated anger emanating from those red eyes. The moment I felt this, I glanced down quickly and stared at my shoes. Yet somehow, I could still feel her livid gaze piercing the top of my head. Wanting to push this lioness's clear and inexplicable ire from my mind, I looked around at the rest of the pride.

They were all fairly similar in color, tan; but they all varied in shades and features. Some appeared slender and quick while others were quite muscular and very powerful. Many had more rounded faces, while still others had pointed, angular features, including the red-eyed lioness that I was still trying not to make eye contact with. One thing was for sure, though: those looks of scrutinizing distress on each of their faces only made me shake even more. Suddenly I doubted very much that Mufasa's plan for me was even plausible. My mind raced, wondering frantically how I could possibly escape en entire pride of hungry, angry lionesses.

Another lioness came up into view, closely followed by a blue hornbill soaring above her and two cubs below, both of which were arguing with each other.

"You so did _not_ win!"

"Oh yes, I did!"

"You cheated!"

"It's called 'being a better player', Simba. I _didn't _cheat."

Mufasa chuckled at the two before calling out to them.

"Simba, Nala! You can settle this some other time. We've got something important to discuss."

The two cubs eyed each other seriously for a moment before breaking out into laughter. The creamy cub Nala followed the equally creamy lioness that had come up with them to one of the empty places in the circle. The hornbill soared down and landed on Mufasa's shoulder, which I must admit surprised me just a bit. I'd half expected the lion to chomp the pest out of the sky. I supposed there was some answer why, but I didn't feel up to asking. I wasn't about to ask what would probably be a stupid question and draw any more attention to myself than I already had. They probably all saw me as food as it was. No need to make then think I was easy prey as well.

The golden cub called Simba trotted up to Mufasa's side and sat between him and Sarabi. He looked up at me, pure, innocent curiosity shining in his eyes. For one brief instant, his curious composure lightened my mood slightly.

Mufasa smiled down at the cub and looked up at his pride. He stared around, seeming to take role in his mind. His eyes lingered momentarily on the empty space next to the red-eyed lioness.

"Late again…" He muttered, his brow furrowing in frustration.

"Shall I scout around for him, sire?" The hornbill on his shoulder asked. "I would very much like to chastise him for this."

"That won't be necessary, Zazu." Mufasa glanced over at the bird. "I'll find him myself after we finish here. I've got a few things to say to him as well."

I was curious who Mufasa and the hornbill were talking so seriously about, and I wondered if I even wanted to know. I may had only known Mufasa for less than an hour, but I'd yet to hear him talk about anything or anybody in such a serious, almost disappointed manner. My nerves starting to become shaken again, I looked back down at Simba, hoping that innocent, hope-inspiring look was still in his eyes. To my relief, he still stared up at me with a childlike interest.

"Is this tonight's dinner, Dad?" Simba spoke up, his eyes still lingering on me. "It doesn't look too good…"

Any feeling of hope shattered into tiny wisps of nothingness at the cub's words and my stomach completely bottomed out. I looked over at Mufasa with what I was sure was a pleading expression. Sarabi laughed in surprise behind me, which didn't help at all.

"No, son," Mufasa said with a smile, raising his voice to address the entire pride. "This is not our kill nor is he a threat. This is a friend."

The pride started to mumble to one another, and immediately my worries solidified; at least half of the pride already seemed leery of my presence. That fight-or-flight sensation started to boil in my gut, with strong emphasis on the 'flight' part.

"Peace, friends." Mufasa raised his voice to be heard over their chatter. "We help those in need, and as your King I have made the decision that we are going to help this boy as much as we can."

"Help him?" The red-eyed lioness interjected, her eyes as angry as ever. "Look at him! He's a human! You're the one who told us the dangers of humans! _You're_ the one who told us they're to be avoided at all costs, and here you are bringing one before us and telling us to _befriend_ it? Have you completely lost your mind? Or are you just-"

Whatever she thought Mufasa was, we never found out. Sarabi roared from behind me, making me jump just slightly.

"Remember your place, Zira," she growled. "Do not question your King."

"Thank you, Sarabi," Mufasa nodded, never taking his eyes from Zira. "Yes, Zira. I have warned you all against the dangers of humans. And those dangers still stand. However, this human is different."

The creamy colored lioness next to Nala spoke up, her voice kind and soothing. "Can he speak?"

I opened my mouth to answer but my words caught suddenly in my throat as my nerves spiked again. Zira scoffed, rolling her eyes. Something along the lines of pride sparked inside my mind that loosened my throat significantly.

"Yeah, I can talk," I said loud enough to address the entire pride. Every eye was still on me, waiting for my next words. I gave a sigh. "My name is Ayden. You don't have to worry about me. I'm not here with any hidden motives. I lost my family a short while ago and I'm lost with nowhere to go. I'm just looking for a new home. Someplace to start over and live my life. I don't know how useful I can be to you, but if you'll let me…I'd like to give it a try. I'd kinda like to see where I can fit in."

The expressions of most of the pride softened significantly, though a few, including Zira, still looked as distrusting as ever.

"I trust Ayden," Mufasa said firmly with a smile. "He has shown neither aggression nor ill will towards us, and it is my belief that Aiehu has brought him to us, and us to him. Therefore, from this day on, Ayden will always be welcome in our pride. He is to be treated with the same respect and kindness you give to your fellow sisters."

Without any hesitation, the pride bowed at Mufasa's final words, to which he inclined his head. Then, slowly, the pride broke the circle and wandered back down from Pride Rock and out into the grasslands. A few lingered for a moment to continue to stare curiously at me, which I found incredibly uncomfortable. I wanted to say something, but I held my tongue, not wanting to possibly provoke an already irate predator. Mufasa and Sarabi didn't notice, as they were quietly discussing Zira's outburst behind me. So I stood, staring around at nothing until the big cats grew bored of looking at me. Finally they turned and left. Only a few stragglers stayed behind; Sarabi, Mufasa, Simba, Nala, the hornbill Zazu, and two other lionesses, one of whom was the one who appeared to be exactly the same color as Nala and had kind blue eyes. The other was slightly smaller, her pelt a shade darker and her features a bit more pointed.

"I'm sorry about Zira," Sarabi said, walking around to face me with a grimace. "She has some personal demons to work out. But she's a very capable huntress, and one we would be at a disadvantage without."

"I hope that attitude is just temporary," I mumbled, looking over the promontory as Zira's figure disappeared in the long grass. "I really don't want to cause any trouble."

"Believe me," the lioness who looked like Nala said with a smirk. "If you run into trouble with Zira, odds are she'll have started it."

Somehow, her words weren't very comforting. Still, I smiled back and stared for a moment at the two lionesses I didn't know.

"Oh, forgive us…where are our manners?" the lighter lioness laughed. "I'm Sarafina, Nala's mother."

"And I'm Kala," the other lioness piped up with an equally large smile.

"Nice to meet you." I said politely. They nodded back and then things fell silent. Awkwardly silent. A little _too_ awkwardly silent. Zazu, still perched on Mufasa's shoulder, cleared his throat pointedly, but to no effect. I decided to go ahead and speak up again.

"So…I'm part of the pride. Great! So, um…what now?"

Sarabi chuckled. "Well, what do you want to do?"

"I don't know." I replied with a shrug. "What do you guys normally do around here?"

"For the most part, we just relax and enjoy each other's company." Kala said. "But every night, we split up into hunting parties and hunt for our daily meal."

"Where do you guys rest?" I asked, noticing for the first time how exhausted I was. Though I had been unconscious for a day, wandering the savannah for over a week had taken quite a number on me and I was suddenly quite ready to crash for the night.

"The cave where you woke up is where we all sleep together," Mufasa replied. "You do seem quite tired. Would you like to rest now?"

"I think so," I said thankfully.

"Then by all means," he said with a nod. "Our land is now your land. You may do as you wish."

"Thanks," I said with a grin.

"Are you going to need help walking back in?" Sarabi said, taking a hesitant step toward me.

"Actually, I think I'll be all right now," I said, feeling that what I had said applied to more than just my physical being. "Thanks, though."

I looked around at everybody and gave a feeble goodbye wave before walking past Mufasa back to the cave. Before I reached the entrance, I was struck with a pang of guilt. I had forgotten something. I turned and smiled once again at every lion still standing there.

"By the way, guys…thanks for everything. I really appreciate your welcome and hospitality."

They all grinned back. Sarabi's eyes sparkled brightly. "You're welcome Ayden, in more ways than one. If you need anything, just ask. We're always here for you."

They all turned and started to file down into the grasslands, leaving me with a smile on my face and a new feeling in my heart, a feeling that, at this time yesterday, I would have never thought possible for me to feel again. It filled me up inside, like a balloon slowly inflating. For the moment, all the sorrow and pain I'd been experiencing had been pushed aside, and instead replaced with this overwhelming feeling: a feeling of hope.

With that on my mind, I made my way back into the cave. I quickly found my backpack on the opposite end and made for it. I unhooked my sleeping bag, rolled it out, and slid in. My mind, which had been racing since I woke up, was starting to settle. Peace was finally starting to settle in as I let the silence of the cave envelope me. The smiling faces of the Pride I just left around the corner still appeared clearly in my mind. For the first time in what had felt like a lifetime, I wasn't so worried about what would happen to me. I was safe now, with a place to stay and people (or rather, lions) to stay with. Lions who, for some reason, decided I was worth keeping around.

I had no clue what the future would hold for me, nor did I have the faintest idea of what I could expect in the weeks to come. All I knew was this; I had found some form of home, someplace where I felt safe and secure. I could rest easy now without worrying about being discovered by some wayward predator, because now I was living with the predators. And above all, somehow I knew that, wherever they were, my family was watching over me, keeping me safe even in death. Finally, things seemed like they just might turn out all right.

And with that, I fell into the first peaceful sleep I'd had in a long time.


End file.
